Art Dubai 2018 @ Madinat Jumeirah from 21-24 March 2018
Tuesday 20th March is took place the press conference of the 12th edition of Art Dubai, 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.
The fair is presented by the director Myrna Ayad and the artistic director Pablo del Val.
Art Dubai 2018 features 105 galleries from 48 countries across its Contemporary and Modern halls as well as its new section Residents.
“Once more, Art Dubai reaffirms its position as the platform representing the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, where initiatives are formed or announced, artists’ careers launched onto the international stage and where new partnerships and discoveries are made.” said Myrna Ayad, Director, Art Dubai.
Pablo del Val, Artistic Director, Art Dubai, commented: “With each edition, we work towards stronger, more defined curatorial narratives that this year, are combined with the cultural offerings of 48 countries. It’s been extremely rewarding to launch Residents and see it culminate at the fair; this initiative is in line with our objective to both engage communities and attract new energies to the fair and city.”
The three main sections of the fair are:
ART DUBAI CONTEMPORARY (Halls 1 & 2)
With 78 galleries from 42 countries, including first-time gallery participations from Iceland, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kazakhstan, this year’s Contemporary gallery halls confirm Art Dubai’s unique character as a platform for discovery for art from across the world and meeting point for art from established centres and emerging scenes alike.
ART DUBAI MODERN (Mina al Salam)
The 5th edition of Art Dubai Modern will feature a 16 galleries from 14 countries and introduce, for the first time, collective exhibitions, in addition to solo- and two-artist shows. Misk Art Institute is the exclusive partner of Art Dubai Modern.
RESIDENTS (between Halls 1 & 2)
Premiering in 2018, Residents is a programme-cum-gallery section at Art Dubai, which saw 11 international artists come to the UAE for a 4-8 week residency, producing work which will be presented by the artists’ respective galleries in this new section at the fair.
Dubai Event Blog point out the beautiful and intense work: Casting The Invisible of the Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi supported by the gallery The Mine.
Collateral Project:
THE 10TH EDITION OF THE ABRAAJ GROUP ART PRIZE curated by Myriam Ben Salah. The commissioned work by winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2018, the Abraaj Group Art Prize has become a cornerstone of the art scene in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, as well as a stepping stone for mid-career artists, many of whom have become well-known names in the international art world.
The big news of the press conference is that Art Jameel https://artjameel.org
announces opening date of Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai on November 11th 2018, during the Dubai Design Days, in D3. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=qg7L0Se05dM here the presentation video)
The full collection of the Abraaj Group Art Prize (2009-2018) moving to the new Arts Centre on long term loan.
(Art Jameel announced also the new partnership with the UK’s Delfina Foundation, extending the international reach of both organisations, and developing new programming and residency initiatives.
Furthermore the Victoria & Albert Museum, Art Jameel’s long-time institutional partner, will present the finalists of the Jameel Prize 5 in an exhibition from June 28 to November 25, 2018.)
Another great news of this edition is that Art Dubai and Misk Art Institute https://miskartinstitute.org announced a partnership that will materialise through exhibitions and talks documenting and celebrating modern and contemporary art of the Arab world.
Misk Art Institute is a new cultural organisation operating under the auspices of the Misk Foundation, established by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Led by Saudi artist, Ahmed Mater, the Institute was created to encourage grassroots artistic production in Saudi Arabia and enable international cultural diplomacy and exchange.
Worthy of great attention and absolutely not to be missed is the preview of Reframe Saudi (http://www.reframesaudi.org ) directed by the young Italian photographer Matteo Lonardi, graduated at the Colombia University of New York, and produced by CULTURUNNERS.
It is a Virtual Reality documentary film (20 min.) that explores Saudi Arabia by looking inside the studios of contemporary artists. Art Dubai audiences are invited to experience a preview of the film, becoming witness to the vivid profusion of cultural narratives shaping life in the changing Kingdom.
Reframe Saudi at Art Dubai pre-empts the international launch of the final film at the World VRForum in June 2018.
The preview will be accompanied by a panel discussion (friday 23th, 2,30pm) on Virtual Reality and Contemporary Art, moderated by Marisa Mazria Katz with World VR Forum Director, Salar Sahna, VR film maker Matteo Lonardi and Saudi Artist Ahaad Alamoudi.
Written by Michela Spugnini