Art Dubai kicks off with 31 countries

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The photo shows the promotional work of Turkish project UBIK at Art Dubai, which will be participated in by 75 galleries from 31countries, including Turkey, in Madinat Jumeriah.

The sixth edition of Art Dubai kicks off today and will continue until March 24 in Madinat Jumeirah, United Arab Emirates. Art Dubai 2012 includes leading galleries and dynamic young spaces from across Europe, America, the Middle East, Australia, Asia and Africa. The leading international fair in the MENASA (Middle East/North Africa/South Asia) region, Art Dubai 2012 features a carefully selected roster of 74 galleries from 31 countries.

“Art Dubai epitomizes the globalised phenomenon that is today’s art world,” said Antonia Carver, Fair Director, Art Dubai. “Over the past five years, the fair has become known as a point of discovery, and an essential meeting point on the art world calendar.” In 2011, Art Dubai welcomed over 20,000 visitors, including 60 international museum groups.

“The 2012 fair was oversubscribed, and the gallery selection process was particularly tough,” said Carver. “The selection is limited to around 75 galleries – we’re aiming for a unique fair with a diverse, curated and intimate approach.” New participants in 2012 include Arndt (Berlin), Rodolphe Janssen (Brussels), Lombard Freid Projects (New York), Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke (Mumbai), The Pace Gallery (New York, London, Beijing), Galerie Perrotin (Paris), and Platform China (Beijing). Galleries returning from 2011 include Athr Gallery (Jeddah), Chantal Crousel (Paris), Experimenter (Kolkata), Goodman Johannesburg, Capetown), Grey Noise (Lahore), Marianne Boesky Gallery (New York), Sfeir-Semler (Hamburg, Beirut) and The Third Line (Dubai).

Galleries planning artist focus shows include Mumbai’s Chemould Prescott Road, with new works by Shezad Dawood; Argentinian galleries GC Estudio de Arte and Galeria Teresa Anchorena with a stand featuring kinetic sculpture; and Impronte Contemporary Art (Milan), which specializes in contemporary video and photography from Central Asia.

Marker, the curated section of “concept stands” launched in 2011, this year turns its focus to the Indonesian arts scene. Commissioned by Art Dubai, the renowned Yogyakarta-born curator Alia Swastika has invited five Indonesian galleries – Ark Galerie, Biasa Artspace, Galerie Canna, D’Gallerie, and Jogja Contemporary – to participate.

A new program
Highlights of Art Dubai Projects 2012 include a new artists’ and curator’s residency program – a partnership between Art Dubai, the Delfina Foundation, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and Tashkeel – plus commissioned site-specific works, performances, radio and research projects. The curator’s residency is in collaboration with ArtAsiaPacific. The participants will be announced early December.
Art Dubai is an anchor event within Art Week, which is expanding in 2012 to include a range of art and design events across the Gulf region.

Art Dubai Programs
The Global Art Forum, Abraaj Capital Art Prize, Artists-in-Residence (A.i.R. Dubai) program, Forum Fellows and a number of Art Dubai’s other programs provide an essential meeting point where artists, curators and creative practitioners of the Middle East engage in cultural exchange with Asia, Europe and the America. “With more than 500 artists involved with the fair, half from the Arab world, Art Dubai is the preeminent showcase of artists and galleries from the region,” says Fair Director Antonia Carver. “March is the time of year when the art world descends on the Gulf, and when Dubai comes alive with three art and design fairs, more than 40 gallery exhibitions, special projects, and must-visit events: it’s a unique platform which celebrates the outstanding creativity and innovation of the arts scenes across the region.”

The critically-acclaimed Global Art Forum, under the directorship of curator and writer Shumon Basar, expands to six days in 2012, having started at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar on March 18-19, and continuing at Art Dubai until March 24.