ART DUBAI: REVITALIZATION & DIGITALIZATION
The Middle East’s leading global platform for art and artists, the Art Dubai, closed its 15th edition on 13 March 2022, with strong sales reported across all four sections of the fair: Modern, Contemporary, Bawwaba and Digital, at Madinat Jumeirah, its home. The 16th edition of Art Dubai returns to its iconic home at Madinat Jumeirah from March 1-5, 2023.
This is the first full scale opening of Art Dubai after covid, and what an art fair it turned out to be, exuberant, vibrant, educative and beautiful, the fair’s largest to date, with a record attendance of more than 30,000 visitors across five days.
The success of the fair reinforces the growing importance of Dubai as an international hub for art and culture and for innovation and technology, and Art Dubai as the marketplace for art and artists from the Global South.
Art Dubai is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Art Dubai. Under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the event aims to further reinforce Dubai’s emergence as an international hub for art and culture and a major contributor to conversations about contemporary art.
His Highness: “Dubai continues to raise its profile as a global centre of excellence for various forms of art by providing a supportive environment for artistic talent from all over the world to thrive”
The UAE’s cultural sector is seeing a growing energy and dynamism driven by the nation’s commitment to promoting creativity and its values of diversity, inclusiveness, and tolerance.
Speaking on the occasion, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid highlighted the role of the arts in strengthening understanding and peaceful coexistence between people of different cultures and nationalities. The UAE’s cultural sectors are seeing a new energy and dynamism driven by the nation’s commitment to promoting creativity and its values of diversity, inclusiveness and tolerance, he said. Art Dubai is one of the many expressions of Dubai’s vision to be a global cultural hub and the centre of the worldwide creative economy. The art fair’s steady growth into a leading event in the international cultural calendar reflects the nation’s aspirations to spur a cultural renaissance in the region by creating an environment for the world’s most creative minds to share their talent. He said Dubai continues to raise its profile as a global centre of excellence for various art forms by providing a supportive environment for artistic talent from all over the world to thrive. Creativity is one of the vital elements that enable civilizations to flourish and nations to prosper, he further said.
For over 15 years, Art Dubai has been the annual meeting point for modern and contemporary art enthusiasts, developing a local collector as well as individual and corporate patron base from all over the world. Championing artists from regions which are underrepresented in established collections, the 2022 edition sees half of its exhibitors come from the Global South, with notably strong representation from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.
Art Dubai 2022 featured more than 120 presentations by 104 galleries and platforms from 44 countries. The gallery programme was complemented by newly commissioned works from leading international artists and an oversubscribed, innovative talks programme, bringing together some of the world’s brightest minds through the 15th edition of Global Art Forum and new Bybit Talks Series.
“The lead up to the fair is always a challenge,” says Benedetta. “Some of the challenges are the same each year – logistics and timelines, and ensuring we have the best possible programme and that our audience is engaged and aware. But of course, the past couple of years have presented a different set of challenges that are mostly to do with having to navigate a significant amount of uncertainty. This year in particular we are presenting our most ambitious programme to date with a record number of presentations and new elements – so that is proving challenging, yet exciting!”
“I feel we are different in two key ways,” said ART DUBAI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BENEDETTA GHIONE. “On one hand, our content. We are proud of and committed to our Global South focus and are excited to continue promoting artistic production from this part of the world. Secondly, it is our scale and personality – we are a boutique art fair of just over 100 galleries that has continued to innovate and think outside the box. I think this model of innovation paired with a specific viewpoint is one that will make us meaningful and sustainable as we move forward.” Always ahead of her game, this year Benedetta has introduced a completely new segment of the fair. “We started thinking about the new digital section straight after the fair last year, and in the past year we have seen huge interest in and conversation around the rise in digital art and NFTs,” she says. “We think of the section as a laboratory – where people interested in finding out more about this evolving landscape can do so in a multitude of ways – be it by visiting the 17 international platforms that will be showcasing work, attending one of the many talks across both our Global Art Forum conference and the inaugural Bybit Talks Series, or by speaking to the participants who will be showcasing these new technologies.”
Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and member of Dubai Council, inaugurated the 15th edition of Art Dubai, the region’s premier international art event.
Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority said: “Art Dubai’s return this year with the highest participation in its history is a landmark moment in Dubai’s creative journey. The exceptional response it has received is a testament to the homegrown art fair’s emergence as one of the most prominent art events in the international cultural calendar and a major platform to showcase the highest creative excellence in global art. Art Dubai’s vibrant line-up of galleries and artists further reinforces Dubai’s rise as a global cultural hub that is playing a key role in shaping new creative possibilities, conversations and connections for the international art world.
– Her Highness: “Art Dubai further reinforces Dubai’s rise as a global cultural hub that is playing a key role in shaping new creative possibilities, conversations and connections for the international art world”
– “The exceptional response Art Dubai has received is a testament to its emergence as a prominent event in the international cultural calendar and a major platform to showcase the best of global art”
Art Dubai, the flagship event of the Dubai Art Season (DAS) 2022, presented its most extensive edition to date with over 100 galleries from 44 countries, and supports the Dubai leadership’s vision to transform the emirate into the capital of the global creative economy.
Art Dubai 2022 also featured the debut edition of Art Dubai Digital, a new physical gallery section presenting a curated selection of 17 of the most cutting-edge digital platforms internationally. For many platforms this was their first experience exhibiting in a traditional fair context, and in person and online sales were widely reported.
Art Dubai’s Artistic Director Pablo del Val commented: “This was without doubt one of the most successful editions of Art Dubai, in terms of both visitors and sales reported, fully reflecting Dubai’s position as an engine of global growth and a city no longer of the future, but of the here and now. The response from audiences and collectors to the debut edition of Art Dubai Digital has been truly incredible. Art Dubai prides itself on being a fair of innovation and forward-thinking, and there was a real freshness and energy to the 2022 edition across the whole programme.”
“For 15 years, Art Dubai has been a place to discover and celebrate new trends, creating and facilitating conversations, and celebrating the strength of creative output across the Global South. Art Dubai is a truly global art fair, and this is reflected in both the quality and geographic spread of the galleries participating this year. That so much of the programme is drawn from the Global South highlights the increased interest in and appetite for collecting non-Western art, the strengthening of the gallery scene beyond the traditional centres of the art world, and the role Art Dubai plays as a platform for regions that are under-represented in international collections.”
Art Dubai was held in partnership with A.R.M. Holding. The lead partner of the fair is Swiss Wealth Management Group Julius Baer. The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) was the fair’s strategic partner. Bybit was the lead partner of Art Dubai Digital.
Art Dubai 2022 featured more than 120 presentations by 104 galleries and platforms from 44 countries across four main sections: Contemporary, Bawwaba, Modern and new section Art Dubai Digital. The gallery programme was complemented by newly commissioned works by internationally recognised artists, and an innovative, world class talks programme that brings together the brightest minds in the global art world, and the new Bybit Talks Series. The debut edition of Art Dubai Digital featured a new physical gallery section presenting a curated selection of the most cutting-edge digital platforms internationally. Art Dubai 2022 includes more than 30 first-time participants, and over 50% of the gallery programme is drawn from the Global South, reaffirming the fair’s position as the leading marketplace and meeting point for art and artists from this region. Art Dubai 2022 included more than 30 first-time participants, and over 50% of the gallery programme is drawn from the Global South, reaffirmed the fair’s position as the leading marketplace and meeting point for art and artists from this region.
Art Dubai’s 15th edition was the most ambitious and extensive to date, with Art Dubai Digital; a series of ambitious new commissions by internationally renowned artists, ground-breaking group exhibitions and world-class education and talks programmes. New for 2022 is the debut of Art Dubai Digital, an innovative new digital art and NFT section that provides a comprehensive, 360-degree introduction to this fast-developing landscape, examining the context out of which NFTs, cryptocurrency, video art and virtual reality (VR) have grown since the rise of digital art in the 1980s.
Art Dubai also featured an innovative talks programme for a range of audiences. Entitled ‘This is the Picture’, commissioned by Shumon Basar, the 15th edition of the Global Art Forum, and took place across four days, the 15th edition of the Global Art Forum examined the worlds of digital artefacts and crypto economies, inviting leading artists, curators, creators, thinkers and technologists to consider a range of topics from NFT art and curatorial projects, to crypto gaming and the metaverse, Web3 and Dubai’s new crypto zone. Participants for 2022 include noted collectors Guy Ullens and Ryan Zurrer, pioneering artists Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst and UAE blockchain advocate Saeed Al Darmaki. The programme was in dialogue with the new Art Dubai Digital section this year’s forum took place during Art Dubai at Madinat Jumeirah.
We have seen a Great Reversal over the last decade: online is no longer secondary to offline. Are we now extensions of our screens? We are seeing new values emerge from new virtual assets, as scarcity of digital space and objects can finally be measured. Art and culture have always mirrored social and technological change. Where are we heading next?
‘This is the Picture’ invited artists, curators, creators, thinkers and technologists.
Bybit was the Lead Partner of Art Dubai Digital, a new section of the iconic art fair to bridge between the rapidly-developing crypto-sphere and the international art market.
Bybit and Art Dubai meet at the intersection of digital art forms and human creativity amidst the paradigm shift of our times. Artists and creatives are no strangers to digital innovations and the blurring of boundaries between visions and realities, with roots in digital artistry going back to the 1980s. The global pandemic has accelerated the building of new worlds and the coming together of new artistic communities in the digital space.
The new Art Dubai Digital section brought to life art forms transcending conventional constraints and showcased 17 presentations from both traditional galleries and digitally native ones. The digital section gave a voice to emerging artists and market participants, many of whom are first-timers at an international art fair.
Bybit Talks, a new addition to the fair, an eclectically curated series of conversations presented by the titular and leading cryptocurrency exchange, that aimed to give visitors greater understanding about the rapid growth in digital platforms. Invited guest speakers explained about the basics of cryptocurrency, digital media and NFT art, participants will include Tamas Banovich, co-founder of Postmasters; Seth Goldstein, co-founder of Bright Moments and Christina Chua, co-founder of SO-FAR.
“Art Dubai provided Bybit with the opportunity to meet the creative community and our peers in the blockchain space. We are keen on connecting with the community here in the GCC region and to learn what crypto can do for them and what we can offer,” said Terrenus.
“We are working closely with key stakeholders to strengthen our presence here to better serve our community and explore institutional collaborations. We look forward to playing an active role in the region.”
“We are looking at a transformative technology capable of elevating digital art, an art form with analogue origins [dating back] decades, to scale and dimensions never seen before.”
Apart from enabling creativity, NFT listing and trading also offer an “alternative avenue” to emerging artists and creators who may not have the right resources or connections to properly navigate the art world, said Terrenus.
“It is also forging a unique bond between artists and their backers, who through their digital ownership would become part of the creation that will live in the metaverse, instead of a transient mere interaction.”
Art Dubai Modern Talks, was held in collaboration with the Dubai Collection, that examined the life, work and influences of 20th Century Modern masters from the Middle East and North Africa.
With a focus on the next generation of artists, Art Dubai 2022 marked the culmination of Campus Art Dubai’s Blockchain Edition, an eight-week development and mentorship programme for 12 UAE and international artists, held in partnership with Dubai Culture. Led by a host of local and global leading experts in the blockchain and NFT art sector, there was a special presentation of these works at the fair.
A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme featured artist-led workshops for children aged 5-17 years. With a focus on sustainability, the programme was led by Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru, worked with participants to retrieve and repurpose everyday materials from their homes, challenging children to alter their perspective and re-examine how they see everyday objects and their wider surroundings. The programme took place at Art Dubai and expanded to 80 schools – reaching more than 5,000 children across Dubai.
Following the successful launch of the A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme’s second edition at Art Dubai 2022, in-classroom workshops for children between the ages of 5-17 years were carried out in 80 schools across all 7 Emirates.
The artist appointed for the 2022 edition of the workshops was Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru, and in his workshops Art of Recycle he invited children to retrieve and re-purpose everyday materials from their homes and schools, and transform them into works of art. Through these workshops, Cyrus challenged participants to alter their perspectives and re-examine how everyday objects can be given a new lease of life.
A.R.M. Holding is a private investment firm and a multi-focused economic enabler investing in partnerships that reinforced Dubai’s position as the global capital of culture and innovation. It collaborated to that end with Art Dubai on a number of initiatives that foster young talent and creativity in the emirate.
Courtesy of Perrotin
Galleries were impressed by the dynamism and vibrance of Dubai’s artistic and cultural landscape. Emmanuel Perrotin, Founder, Perrotin said: “Dubai is six hours by plane from two-thirds of the world’s population, and a highly dynamic city that is attracting a new audience. We are always keen to bring our artists’ voices to audiences who do not always have the opportunity to engage with their work. The whole region is developing projects around art, and we want our artists to be able to participate in them.”
Art Dubai Modern 2022 was curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath and featured solo presentations of museum-quality works by eleven 20th Century masters from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA). Bawwaba – meaning gateway in Arabic and exclusively featured works made in the past year or specifically for Art Dubai 2022 – is curated by Nancy Adajania and featured ten solo presentations, and included six first-time exhibitors.
Commissioned by Julius Baer, artist James Clar presented a brand new installation at the 2022 edition of Art Dubai which focuses on the concept of ‘cloud seeding’, a form of weather modification prevalent in Dubai and something that locals and residents can identify with. The concept looks at nature and natural phenomena expressed via technology.
James Clar was the first visual artist to showcase an artwork at the Julius Baer Lounge.
James Clar is a light and media artist whose interest is in new technological production processes and their application to artistic narrative forms. He studied film at NYU and received his Masters from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program where he began developing his own light systems to create visual sculptural works that combine light and technology.
“Cloud Seed” the digital art installation created by James Clar for Julius Baer at Art Dubai 2022.
As the phenomena of digitalisation affects all aspects of our life, this is strongly aligned with our Next Generation approach and our digital disruption series. The interactive piece “Cloud Seed”, created by James Clar, allows viewers to get a taste of the locally practised weather modification technique of cloud seeding. Technology influences nature in cloud seeding, as it did the experience of visitors to the Julius Baer Lounge. “People walking through the hallway can look and see themselves immersed in this simulation of rain and wind and fog,” James explains. “It manipulates the live video feed to overlap real space with a virtual space”.
“I think I’m using media and technology like a tool set. It’s like a painter using different types of paints or different types of brushes,” James says. “What’s interesting to me is understanding how the medium of technology works, what its effects are in terms of perception. For instance, we’re here, we’re in a globalized city, and we try to understand who each other is. Where do we get that information from?… What do we see? Why are we seeing it?”
BMW goes POP! POP! POP! with the edition of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS at ART DUBAI.
THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, the most elaborately designed vehicle in all of BMW’s history was presented at ART DUBAI for the first time, which is an exclusive edition of only 99 automobiles, a strictly limited number of the M850i xDrive Gran Coupé, created by Jeff Koons and BMW.
The expressive and striking design combines eleven different exterior colors ranging from blue to silver as well as from yellow to black. Only four cars will be painted each week. The multi-colored interior is comprised of high-end materials, fine leather and a cupholder lid with an edition badging and the artist’s signature.
The energetic and powerful design includes both elements of pop art as well as geometric patterns paying homage to the sporty 8 Series Gran Coupe’s intricate contours and shape. The exploding lines of color at the rear, in turn, are their own unmediated homage to the artist’s 2010 BMW Art Car, while the “POP!” on each side as well as the vapor thrust imagery symbolize the power and speed of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, according to the artist.
Boghossian is a Geneva-based, family-run high jewelery house that has a rich history spanning over 150 years and exhibited at the ART DUBAI. The Maison is helmed by fifth- and sixth-generation gem experts, and draws artistic inspiration from its beginnings at the centre of the Silk Route, combining Eastern opulence with innovative Swiss craftsmanship.
Roberto Boghossian, the Managing Partner, said, “[It was] a natural evolution to come here as we work a lot with the region.” The theme of the exhibition is the dialogue between cultures, attesting to the roots of the house – having been founded along the world’s most historic trade route. The jewels are displayed in a cabinet of curiosities, decorated with luxurious lacquered furniture and enclosed by tiny strings of silk. The linkage between East and West is reflected even in the nationalities of the artists that designed the installation; the silk cords were crafted by Danish, Kufstudios, and the furniture was created by Lebanese designer, Nada Debs.”
Boghossian is known for his subtle, simple, light and fluid designs that are crafted with technical innovations in mind to achieve an effortless harmony between Eastern and Western styles.
The Swiss High Jewelry brand is renowned for its high quality Swiss design, innovation and strict adherence to the highest standards of excellence. The iconic brand presented its exquisite gemstones and the exuberant fine jewelery collections including ‘Inlay’, ‘Kissing’ and ‘Merveilles’ were accessible for discovery at Boghossian space at Art Dubai, its most coveted creations and iconic collections.
COSMODREAMS by Marina Fedorova explored the effects of technological advancements on our lives and environment. COSMODREAMS exhibition project is an immersive experience, a journey into the extraordinary world conceived by Ms. Marina Fedorova in her new series of artworks. The exhibition envisioned as a self-contained artistic statement reflects the Artist’s perception of the cosmic space and conveys a deeply personal experience of the Universe.
“Having the opportunity to showcase my COSMODREAMS experience at the 15th edition of Art Dubai and during the inaugural Art Dubai Digital is something that I very much look forward to,” the proud Fedorova said. “The borderline between real life and augmented reality will virtually disappear, allowing everyone to jump into a captivating new world, and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to easily surf the vastness of space soon.”
With works vividly expressing the beauty of the macrocosm, Ms. Fedorova explores the role of the technological progress in our lives and its impact on our planet, muses on social adjustment and the legacy that the future generations will inherit from us.
The artist boldly combined traditional art and digital technologies to bring art closer to a broader audience: COSMODREAMS takes form not only as a series of large-scale paintings, but also as sculptures and human-sized objects, special augmented reality environment, 4K widescreen movie, 8K video for VR-glasses, and interactive panels.
The ART DUBAI party for the collectors and VIP’s are the best, sponsored by RUINART champagne, flowing and oysters.
The 16th edition of Art Dubai returns to its iconic home at Madinat Jumeirah from March 1-5, 2023. The fair will present exciting new global perspectives across four sections: Contemporary, Modern, Bawwaba and Digital, as well as extensive parallel programming including performances, commissions, education programes, talks, and annual conferences.