Abu Dhabi Art Fair Returns To Manarat Al Saadiyat
Abu Dhabi Art returns with its largest edition to date. Dynamic programming spans talks, work-shops, and commissions
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, Abu Dhabi Art returns to Manarat Al Saadiyat.
The latest instalment marks the 14th edition of the fair which is open to the public from 16 – 20 November. This year’s offering is the largest yet with 80 participating galleries from 28 countries. International exhibitors from Colombia, France, Tunisia, Italy, Nigeria, South Korea, Italy, Morocco, and Türkiye offer a breadth of global artistic perspectives.
Copenhagen-based Galerie Mikael Anderson presents delicate works by prolific South African modern artist Ernest Mancoba while South Korean Gallery Tableau presents works from Sang-Min Lee’s Porcelain Bowl (Joseon Period) series.
Regional regulars at the fair foreground the artistic talents of the MENA across multiple cultures and moments in time. Tabari Artspace presents rarely-seen works by Egyptian modernists including Omar El Nagdi and Adam Henein while also introducing a fresh graduate – female Emirati artist Almaha Jaralla. Jaralla’s Shadia is a conceptually-rich body of work that traces the dynamic life and migration journey of the artist’s grandmother across the Arabian Peninsula. Lawrie Shabibi display Iranian-British artist Farhad Ahrania whose practice combines geographically specific approaches to craft-making with historical references that span Saqqakhana, Russian Constructivism and Surrealism.
Highlights include My Life in the Metaverse, a multi-disciplinary exhibition curated by Dr Omar Kholeif that spans a variety of media, including sculpture, painting, photography, installation, video, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Exhibited artists in this segment span the local to the legendary with Farhad Moshiri and Andy Warhol among the selected artists. Connecting the international art community to the aspiring talents of the region, year-round programme, Beyond: Emerging Artists, commissioned three UAE-based artists – Majd Alloush, Sarah Al Mehairi and Mohamed Khalid – to produce new works exhibited at the fair.
Physical exhibitions are supplemented with dynamic programming that spans talks, workshops, commissions and opportunities to engage with site-specific works. Further artist commissions create a dialogue between contemporary art and the historic local vernacular. The Artist Commissions In Cultural Sites programme has installed impressive new site-specific works by the likes of Abdullah Al Saadi, Marinella Senatore, Shilpa Gupta and Conrad Shawcross across sites of historical significance in the UAE.
In a bid to pioneer wider social access to art entry to this year’s fair is free of charge.
Artists Commissions in Cultural Sites and Beyond: Emerging Artists is running until January 22, 2023. Abu Dhabi Art is open to the public from 16 – 20 November 2022. For registration visit abudhabiart.ae.
Images Supplied