First in-person global art event since Covid-19 opens in Dubai

Dubai - Six-day-long Art Dubai will run until April 3 at a new purpose-built venue at DIFC

First global in-person art event since the onset of Covid-19 opened in Dubai on Monday, featuring 50 leading contemporary and modern galleries from 31 countries.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, opened the 14th edition of Art Dubai at a new purpose-built venue at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The region’s leading art fair, 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, will run until April 3.

Sheikh Nahyan expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Dubai’s cultural institutions in organising this major global art event. “Art Dubai represents a new cultural transformation taking place in Dubai and the UAE, which is part of a regional civilisational resurgence being led by the nation. The UAE is bringing together artists from the region and the rest of the world to usher in a creative revitalisation that promises to transform the cultural landscape of the entire region while also making rich contributions to the development of global art,” he said.

He added that the organisation of Art Dubai 2021 further consolidates Dubai’s growing role as a major international centre for art that is enriching the global cultural sector and providing a platform for artists from around the world to engage with each other and showcase their creations.

Art Dubai 2021 is showcasing a diverse selection of artworks, artists and practices in three specially-designed structures covering a total area of 3,400 square metres. This year’s event has a special focus on artists from the Middle East and the Global South. Nine Dubai-based art galleries are participating in the event, the highest ever representation from the emirate in the history of Art Dubai.

Art Dubai has announced a number of innovations for the 2021 fair including a Remote Participation Programme that supports galleries unable to travel to Dubai in person, by using new technologies to connect them digitally with fair visitors. The art fair observes the highest precautionary protocols with the event being held in a purpose-built structure at DIFC that provides the safest possible environment for exhibitors and visitors.

• Dubai