PALETTES

We recap some of the highlights from the recently concluded 16th edition of Art Dubai

One of the region’s leading art fairs, Art Dubai, returned for its annual rendition last month. The 16th edition of the exhibition took place from March 1-5 at Madinat Jumeirah Dubai. This year, the fair was met with a renewed enthusiasm for the arts and culture, with a diverse showcase of works across several media including paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, video and new media.

Art Dubai was established in 2007 and has since then grown to become one of the most important art events in the Middle East, attracting collectors, curators, artists, and enthusiasts from around the globe. The fair presents a range of programming, including exhibitions, talks, performances, and workshops, and is known for its focus on promoting emerging artists from the region and beyond.

In addition to the main fair, Art Dubai also includes other components such as the Global Art Forum – an annual interdisciplinary platform that brings together leading thinkers, artists, and writers to discuss contemporary issues related to art and culture.

This year’s edition witnessed over 130 participating galleries from more than 40 countries, featuring in excess of 600 artists. There were four main sections to this year’s exhibition: Modern, Contemporary, Bawwaba and Art Dubai Digital.

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Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Farhad Moshiri, and Slavs and Tatars, among others. The gallery has also exhibited the work of several other international artists who are engaged with themes related to the MENA region.

Art Dubai Contemporary

Art Dubai Contemporary featured galleries from around the world, ranging from upcoming art scenes to well-known centres, showcasing solo and group shows too.

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Art Dubai Modern

Featuring modern art from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Art Dubai Modern this year focused on solo shows dedicated to either thematic dialogues or a particular period, featuring artists between the 1950s and 1990s. Showcasing modern art masters, it featured 10 presentations. This section was co-curated by Mouna Mekouar, an art critic, curator and art historian, as well as Lorenzo Giusti, who serves as the curator and director of GAMeC, Bergamo. Here are a few galleries that stood out in the this section at Art Dubai.

Aicon Gallery

A contemporary art gallery with locations in New York and London, Aicon Gallery was founded in 1994 by the Indian-American businessman and art collector, Parvez Taj, with a focus on showcasing contemporary art from South Asia and the Middle East.

Since its inception, Aicon Gallery has been dedicated to promoting and exhibiting the work of artists from the region, with a particular emphasis on those who are exploring new forms of expression and pushing the boundaries of traditional art practices.

DAG - Delhi Art Gallery

One of the leading art galleries in India, with a focus on modern and contemporary Indian art, DAG (Delhi Art Gallery) was founded in 1993 by Ashish Anand, and it has since become a prominent force in the Indian art world. Known for its extensive collection of Indian art and works by some of the country’s most celebrated artists from the early 20th century to the present day, the gallery’s collection includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, among other media too.

The Third Line

An art gallery located in Dubai, The Third Line was founded in 2005 by Sunny Rahbar, who is also the gallery’s director. Renowned worldwide for its focus on contemporary art from the Middle East and North Africa region, with an emphasis on artists who are exploring issues of identity, cultural heritage and social change, the gallery’s collection includes a wide range of media.

The Third Line represents a number of established and emerging artists from the MENA region including Shirin Aliabadi,

The selection committee for Art Dubai Contemporary this year comprised of Andrée Sfeir-Semler from Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Priyanka Raja from Experimenter, and Ursula Krinzinger from Galerie Krinzinger. Here are a few art houses that made a mark in the contemporary section of Art Dubai.

Custot Gallery

Custot Gallery is situated in London and was started in 2016 by Stephane Custot, who has over 30 years of experience in the art world, including time spent with galleries such as Galerie Maeght and Marlborough Fine Art.

Featuring media including paintings, photography, and works on paper, Custot represents a roster of some of the most well-known artists including Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, and Marc Chagall, among others.

Custot Gallery is known for its focus on modern and post-war art, with an emphasis on the work of the School of Paris – a group of artists who were active in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. The gallery’s exhibitions often explore the relationship between art and society, and the role of art in shaping cultural and historical narratives.

Jhaveri Contemporary

Located in Mumbai, India, Jhaveri

Contemporary was brought to life in 2010 by sisters Amrita and Priya Jhaveri as a gallery that focused on showcasing contemporary art from India and South Asia. The gallery has made its mark for its innovative exhibition programme, which includes work across several media. The gallery’s collection features both established and emerging artists, many of whom are exploring issues related to cultural identity and social change.

Some of the artists represented by Jhaveri Contemporary include Nalini Malani, Gauri Gill, Manish Nai, and Neha Choksi, among others. It has also collaborated with a number of international institutions and curators to present exhibitions that explore broader themes related to contemporary art.

Ronchini

The gallery which is situated in London, was founded in 1992 by Lorenzo Ronchini. With a diverse exhibition programme, Ronchini represents a roster of internationally recognised artists, including Yinka Shonibare, JR, and Loris Cecchini, among others. Its focus is on contemporary art that is both aesthetically engaging and conceptually rigorous. Ronchini’s exhibitions often explore themes related to identity, culture and social issues.

RIGHT: Brendan Dawes, Persian Dream - Dynasties, 2023, nft video file, courtesy of Gazelli Art House

BELOW: Youdhisthir Maharjan, Between the Lines, 2022, hand embroidered book strips on reclaimed deacidified book pages, courtesy of Blueprint 12

BOTTOM: Berndnaut Smilde, Nimbus MAXXI, 2018, digital c-type print on aluminum, courtesy of Ronchini

LEFT: Lubna Chowdhary, Marker 46, 2022, ceramic painting, courtesy of Jhaveri Contemporary

Bawwaba And Art Dubai Digital

In addition to contemporary and modern, Art Dubai also featured the Bawwaba and Art Dubai Digital sections.

The Bawwaba section, translating to gateway in Arabic, served as a portal to works created in the last year or specifically for the fair, presenting a curated reading of current artistic developments from geographical scopes across “The Global South” through solo artist presentations.

Art Dubai Bawwaba 2023 was curated by Vipash Purichanont, an independent curator and lecturer at Silpakorn University.

Lastly, Art Dubai Digital made a comeback for its second edition and invited a range of disciplines and practices to interact with each other, by observing the cross dimensions of art, design, music, and fashion, which can help expand horizons and understanding of new media and movements in culture. Art Dubai Digital 2023 meanwhile was curated by Clara Che Wei Peh, an arts writer, and leading curator.