Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Dubai)
Art Dubai, the leading international platform for art and artists, has announced details of the programmes and partnerships for its upcoming edition. To be held at the Madinat Jumeirah, the installations will be available for previews in a leap year on February 28 and 29. The 17th staging will then open doors for the public over a three-day period.
An expanded programme, according to the organisers, underscores the fair’s position as the meeting point for the Global South’s creative communities and its mission to redefine the role that an art fair can play in supporting local and regional ecosystems.
The highlights will include major new commissions, premieres by internationally renowned artists and an extensive agenda of education, talks and thought-leadership sessions for any international art fair.
There will be a series of newly commissioned performances centred on themes of healing, hope, and the transformative power of art in challenging times.
The 17th Global Art Forum, the flagship summit of the event, curated by Shumon Basar and Nadine El-Khoury, will explore the relationship between extreme weather and extreme change. The fair claims to host the most extensive talks programme among international art fairs in collaboration with Dubai Collection, the first institutional art organisation for the city.
Additionally, a children’s programme, devised by artist Sahil Naik and sponsored by ARM Holding, will have its largest edition, initially launching at the fair before extending to over 100 schools and 15,000 students. Furthermore, the premiere of “Heart Space”, a significant new commission by digital artist Krista Kim, adds to the diverse and innovative offerings.
Pablo del Val, the event’s Artistic Director, said that fairs like this “have a responsibility to be far more than commercial platforms and Art Dubai continues to play an important institutional role in this region’s cultural ecosystem, supporting artists, scholarship, cultural education and thought-leadership”.
Executive Director Benedetta Ghione said: “Art Dubai Group is committed to laying foundations for a thriving cultural and creative ecosystem, inspired by and responding to our home city of Dubai. The cultural scene here is maturing rapidly and we are proud of the role we play in engaging and inspiring audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and in supporting the next generation of cultural professionals. Our yearround education, scholarship, and thought-leadership programmes, developed alongside our longterm partners, create significant opportunities for people from all over the world to build careers in the creative industries in Dubai.”
Full speaker line-ups and conference session timings will be released in early February.
Thought-leadership
In the 21st century, extreme weather – from floods, droughts and storms to smog – is no longer limited to “the developing world,” but is now happening everywhere. Meanwhile, the threat of extinction elicits urgent innovations, and imagination. Over two days – February 29 and March 1 – the Global Art Forum will present the cultures, technologies, sciences and initiatives around the topic with many of the world’s artists, architects, academics, curators and thinkers.
Speakers contributing to the forum, titled “Whether or Not”, include Dr. Stephanie Rosenthal, Director, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Samir Bantal, Director, AMO at Office of Metropolitan Architecture, Rotterdam, Anne Holtrop, Founder, Studio Anne Holtrop, Bahrain, Monira Al Qadiri, Artist, Kuwait and Berlin, Gabriel Alonso, Artist and Researcher, Madrid, amongst others.
The Dubai Collection’s Modern Talks will highlight the artistic links made possible by Soviet geopolitics of the Cold War, shifting the focus from Western metropoles, and focusing the conversations on the impact of Soviet education and exhibitions on artists from the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.
Though these networks may no longer be obvious today, they were critical to the formation of modern art in the region. Each panel will highlight the personal stories of the artists represented here. They will also provide historical context to the unique grouping of artists in the section, revealing why these works remain valuable and relevant to audiences, collectors, and institutions.
Education
The Children’s Programme, in its fourth year and held across the five days, is the most ambitious education programme in the UAE. Each year, an artist is selected to develop the workshops, which begin at Art Dubai before expanding to private, government, and special educational needs schools across all seven emirates.
Goa-based Naik has been selected to develop the programme and his sculptural, architectural and arts education-based practice will take participants on a journey through creation using dioramas, memory and the built environment as sources of inspiration. Centring on themes of ecology and nature, these workshops will invite children to explore the central question: “How do younger generations imagine future cities, and what they will comprise?”
Aimed at nurturing emerging talent and future cultural leaders, the fair will continue to run Campus Art Dubai professional development and traineeship programme. Celebrating its 11th year, the initiative is designed to provide recent graduates with mentorship, masterclasses and hands-on experience across diverse departments at the fair. Additionally, participants will benefit from curated tours of leading cultural organisations in the city, providing practical insights and a clear pathway for them to enter and thrive within the dynamic art scene.
New Commissions
This year’s commissions will feature a series of new performances, films and activations focusing on topics of hope, community and the power of art to help us navigate challenging times. Complementing Art Dubai’s Bawwaba gallery section, and curated by Emiliano Valdes, participating artists hail from the Global South, and will explore various aspects of the healing process, creating spaces for contemplation and introspection, socially-oriented practices that engage with local communities as well as creating nurturing and liberating experiences.
The digital installation by Canadian-Korean artist Krista Kim, “Heart Space”, is an immersive experience that will allow guests to connect with one another through the universal language of the human heartbeat. In real-time, each visitor’s unique heart rhythm will be visualised through hypnotic patterns and meditative shapes displayed across a dynamic LED canvas.
The installation puts forward the concept of “oneness” where participants come together to create a social fabric harnessing the power of art and technology. “Heart Space” is a continuation of Kim’s ongoing exploration into the creative potential of screens as digital instruments of well-being and longevity. It explores investment thematics around the emergence of megatrends across arts, science, and technology. This is the second major digital commission by Julius Baer to debut at Art Dubai, following the acclaimed collaboration with Refik Anadol in 2023.
Returning partner Piaget is bringing a new exhibition “The House of Gold”. Spotlighting gold as the ultimate luxury and a symbol of perfection, central to the brand’s philosophy, the presentation will showcase a series of high-end jewellery and watches, patrimony pieces and private collections in a bespoke booth featuring newly commissioned artworks, workshops and immersive experiences.
