UAE: Art fair to feature record-breaking 78 galleries from 27 countries

Abu Dhabi Art has announced its largest edition to date, with this year’s diverse gallery lineup featuring a record-breaking 78 galleries from 27 countries. Abu Dhabi Art will also welcome esteemed art historian Rachida Triki, gallerist Jade Yeşim Turanlı, and arts journalist Riccarda Mandrini as this year’s sector guest curators and collaborators for galleries at the fair.

Taking place from November 16 to 20 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, the 14th edition of the fair will highlight artists from North Africa, Türkiye and the wider region.

The Abu Dhabi Art fair has established itself as an influential annual platform for the burgeoning MENASA art scene, connecting galleries and artists from various geographical territories with collectors, art enthusiasts, and visitors from the region and beyond. The annual November art fair is the culmination of Abu Dhabi Art’s year-round visual arts programme.

Last year’s highly successful fair has resulted in a record 45 galleries returning for the 2022 event, whilst also attracting the participation of 33 new galleries, demonstrating the international art world’s confidence in the region post-Covid. Hailing from countries spanning the globe – including Italy, Colombia, South Korea, Denmark and India – the array of local, regional, and international galleries will allow visitors to explore a wide selection of artworks from both established and emerging artists.

Following its tradition of collaborating with distinguished arts professionals to highlight relevant contemporary themes in engaging ways, Abu Dhabi Art has invited art historian, Professor of Philosophy, and curator Triki to be the guest curator of this year’s Focus section under the theme New Tomorrows. The section will spotlight galleries and artists from North Africa and explore the artistic evolution of the region.

Abu Dhabi Art has also appointed gallerist Turanlı of Pi Artworks and journalist Mandrini as guest curators for the fair, each bringing in a number of new galleries. Turanlı will focus on galleries and artists from Türkiye including first time exhibitors Dirimart and Galeri Nev İstanbul whilst Mandrini will bring together galleries from around the world with diverse programmes, including galleries Mazzoleni, P420 and Dep Art Gallery.

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Dyala Nusseibeh, Director, Abu Dhabi Art, said: “Since the first fair in 2007, Abu Dhabi Art has played an integral role in the art eco-system in Abu Dhabi and the wider emirates, fueling the appetite for art in the region. Over the years, we have not only succeeded in bolstering the growth of the country’s cultural and creative industries but also in nurturing homegrown talent. Through collaborations with guest curators such as Rachida Triki, Jade Yeşim Turanlı and Riccarda Mandrini, we also continue to enable diverse perspectives to be present at the fair, ensuring that Abu Dhabi Art continues to be a place of discovery for our art collectors and wider public.”

Triki said: “As the curator of this year’s Focus section, I had the pleasure of bringing together dynamic galleries that present works by established and emerging artists from the Northern Africa region. The works have been selected based on the section’s theme that links heritage and re-creation as a continual rebirth for New Tomorrows.”

Mandrini said: “For this section, I wanted to bring together a diverse group of galleries and artists from different historical periods and geographies. The artworks presented by the galleries create an open narrative and a shared dialogue, writing a new page in art history, which we as individuals, regardless of our cultural and geographical affiliations, can feel part of.”

Abu Dhabi Art will announce further details of the fair’s programmes, sector themes, and the events in store for this edition in the months leading up to the fair.

- ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi