The 10th edition of Abu Dhabi Art opens this week

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Abu Dhabi Art will open to the public this Wednesday, 14^th November at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The 2018 edition will welcome 43 galleries from 19 countries across the globe, with many new galleries participating for the first time, alongside exciting and engaging new elements to the programming.

Members of the local and international press were given a preview of the fair and its public programme in an event hosted by HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Abu Dhabi Art, held on Monday 12^th November. The event also included this edition’s curators, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Hammad Nasar and Tarek Abou El Fetouh, with the talks programme organisers Salwa Mikdadi and Nada Shabout, who offered insight into the various events, talks and performances that they will be participating in throughout the fair.

“Integrating an art fair and an exciting public engagement programme, Abu Dhabi Art’s 10^th edition brings a selection of diverse art, talks and activities with wide-ranging appeal,” said HE Ghobash. “Our dynamic public programme evolves and improves with each edition, with the aim of increasing engagement and stimulating public participation. This year will feature innovative live performances by contemporary artists; talks by museum directors and curators from some of the world’s most renowned cultural institutions and public art initiatives that are bringing art into our city, and our city to life. By engaging residents and visitors, we aim to inspire new generations to engage with the arts.

“I am confident that Abu Dhabi Art’s unique curatorial vision and wide-ranging cultural and community outreach programmes have the variety and the creativity to inspire. I hope you enjoy this milestone year of Abu Dhabi Art, and all the artistic and cultural experiences it has to offer.”

A series of stimulating cultural talks on the circulation of art and the global and local perspectives on new art market economies has also been presented by the Talks Programme organisers Nada Shabout and Salwa Mikdadi. Visitors and collectors will also be given the opportunity to engage with contemporary performance art through the sixth edition of Durub Al-Tawaya, Abu Dhabi Art’s performing arts programme which is once again curated by Tarek Abou El-Fetouh.

Gateway, the visual art exhibition invites a unique curatorial perspective from a guest curator each year, with 2018 being presented by Hammad Nasar. Entitled Structures of Meaning | Architectures of Perception, the exhibition considers artworks as structures through which meaning accumulates.

Distinguished Emirati artist Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim will also be presenting a section entitled Beyond: Emerging Artists and Abu Dhabi Art 2018 will also see the return of the Special Projects exhibiting category, encouraging participating galleries to focus on a curated presentation of either a single artist or two artists.

Dr Omar Kholeif’s curated exhibition, Focus: Icons, explores the key voices that have not only shaped and influenced contemporary art over the last five decades, but also those individuals who are setting precedents, and paving the way for future generations of artists through their diverse set of practices.

“As we approach ten years of Abu Dhabi Art, we continue to expand the offerings and experiences that the fair provides, through collaborations with artists, galleries and curators from around the world. We look forward to welcoming our 2018 participants and to providing a dynamic new edition of Abu Dhabi Art through these wonderful collaborations with our partners” Dyala Nusseibeh commented.

“With a variety of talks and performances held across the emirate, we look forward to welcoming people not only living in the UAE but from across the world, as they immerse themselves at this momentous edition of the fair.”