Art Dubai is back, and probably in more ways than one – after decanting last year to DIFC it’s return to its long term home at the Madinat Jumeriah; the galleries seem to be back, with numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels (including around 30 first-timers); there’s a strong new digital section with 17 exhibitors; and overall it looks like the busiest edition to date.
So it seems a good time to put some questions to Benedetta Ghione, Art Dubai’s Executive Director. In that role she is responsible for the strategic direction and delivery of the fair; with more than 15 years of experience in the art business, she’s been with Art Dubai since 2015. She’s the right person to ask what’s changing in the art fair world – and how Art Dubai is responding to it.
magpie: Let’s start with the big picture. What’s your vision for Art Dubai – what’s the fair for? How does it fit into the regional art ecosystem? What’s its place internationally?
Benedetta Ghione: Our vision for Art Dubai is to be a gathering, a meeting point where the community gets together, not only as a marketplace but also for its unique programming that caters to everyone.
For 15 years, Art Dubai has cemented its place in the art ecosystem as a window to new experiences. Art Dubai is one of the most important cultural events in this part of the world and has been a key catalysts in the growth of the local and regional art scene.
Internationally, Art Dubai is among the key fairs in the global calendar and we are unique in giving a voice to this region as well as those that are underrepresented, in particular the Global South. As a fair, we provide a relevant and increasingly important alternative to western-centric art fair models.
magpie: The restrictions required by the Covid-19 emergency meant that last year Art Dubai relocated to DIFC rather than postpone or cancel the fair completely. How did that work out for Art Dubai?
BG: Last year’s edition of Art Dubai in DIFC was a great success. We had to rethink the fair model due to the pandemic but we managed to significantly restructure the fair in record time. It was a challenging time, of course, but it was important to our communities that the fair took place in a safe environment.
DIFC as a location was ideal with the tent construction and an excellent ventilation system which fulfilled expectations for all. The perception of Art Dubai and our home city was extremely positive in the international scene. and thanks to the support of partners at DIFC, we were able to be the first international art fair to take place since COVID began.
magpie: And are you pleased to be back at Madinat Jumeirah?
BG: We’re delighted to return to Madinat Jumeirah – its unique location with the proximity to the resort and restaurants has allowed us to once again grow the fair back to its normal size and scale.
magpie: So what are the principal developments for this year’s Art Dubai?
BG: Visitors can expect lots of new art from young, exciting, and cutting-edge galleries from Dubai, the region and across the world – more than 100 galleries from 44 countries. We’re pleased to welcome over 30 first-time exhibitors this year, too, which will bring an exciting energy to the programme.
In fact this year will be our most extensive edition to date with a really packed programme and a newly launched digital section with 17 of the world’s leading digital platforms, adding to our three established gallery sections – Contemporary, Modern, and Bawwaba. Our talks programme, led by the Global Art Forum and Campus Art Dubai, will focus heavily upon digital art and the digital world too.
We’re pleased to welcome new sponsors on board which is complemented by strong content-led programming. We will have a series of Bybit Talks to give visitors greater understanding about the rapid growth in digital platforms and explain more about the basics of cryptocurrency, NFTs and digital art. It’s exciting to see new brands entering the space and developing new content.
Art Dubai’s artist commission for 2022 is the incredible Fernando García-Dory, who, with his collective INLAND, will be creating a new artwork looking at our city’s past, present and future. There will be activations around Dubai, which will enable our visitors and our audience to experience Fernando’s universe beyond the fair and into the digital realm.
A.R.M. Holding is continuing support for our schools programme, this year reaching more than 5,000 children in 80 schools across Dubai through a series of workshops with a big focus on sustainability – the Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru will be working with young people to find new ways of using everyday recyclables and transforming them into works of art.
We’re also excited about the Julius Baer commission, an installation by artist James Clar focusing on the cloud seeding concept, a weather modification that’s used to improve biodiversity in the city and something Dubai residents can identify with.
magpie: Clearly there’s a new focus this year on digital art and NFTs. Is this an example of you thinking on your feet, reacting to the sudden arrival of a hot new segment of the art market, or is it something that you’ve had in development for a while?
BG: Digital art is not a reaction to the pandemic. In fact, it has been present since the 1980s and NFTs are just one of the latest manifestations of technology in art. Dubai is also becoming a blockchain hub and centre for crypto, so that broader interest in digital art has moved at a faster pace here.
The idea of showcasing digital and immersive art at the fair was to encourage galleries to bring these bodies of work, as well as to put together a 360-degree, thoughtful project that discusses the digital universe in a way that everybody can understand.
We see Art Dubai Digital as an intersection of all generations, from some of the original pioneers in this space to the most cutting-edge platforms. Visitors will see works of art from the first gallery to ever showcase digital art in the 80s, through to digitally produced works and immersive presentations that rely on blockchain technology.
Our aim is to inform our audience on what this is about and our new series of Bybit Talks will present these topics in an easy to understand, accessible format using simple language, creating a much-needed bridge between the crypto and art worlds.
There’s been a lot of hype in this space over the last couple of years and NFTs are the hot thing right now, but there’s also a maturing of the market taking place. NFTs are something that a ‘digital native’, particularly the Gen Z audience, can immediately relate to. Some more established collectors are also learning more, and part of our programme is about creating a bridge between more traditional art forms and digital art – at Art Dubai we will be discussing the history of the medium, the platforms that are available, the distinction of collectibles versus non-collectibles, and the future of NFTs.
Technology and visual arts are extremely influential. It offers a different approach to different generations – it’s the same as what we went through when figuration was banned. It is history repeating itself. Traditional artists are looking to NFTs as a way to understand the future.
magpie: While I assume the primarily motivation is to make profits, how do you square that with responsibility to the community and your role in the Emirate’s soft-power positioning – and how much discussion do you have on these subjects with Dubai’s institutions?
BG: For many years, Art Dubai has been playing a specific role to develop the local cultural scene. And we’re happy to see the scene has developed, and evolved to include many more players – bringing together different elements that a city needs to be considered as an important hub. Our support comes through a multitude of initiatives – commissioning artists, our schools programme, Campus Art Dubai, thought leadership programming, our year-round Art Salon, the establishment of the Dubai Collection … And of course during the fair we promote the whole of Dubai’s art scene to our local and international audiences.
Art Dubai’s role in its 15 years of existence has evolved. Our objective now is to become a light that ignites synergy among local players in the industry. We bring attention to what’s happening in the country by collaborating with institutions and local galleries and for them to have a presence at the fair.
Just one example of how Art Dubai is a driver for collaboration is the exhibition presented in partnership with Warehouse 421 and Salama Bint Hamdan Emerging Artist Fellowship (SEAF). This exhibition will showcase works of young, locally-based artists who are starting to get attention but are not yet represented by a gallery.
magpie: How has the pandemic affected the art fair business beyond the two years or so of reduced income? Do do you think that hybrid shows will become the norm, say with Art Basel-style Online Viewing Rooms to attract both the Covid-averse and exhibitors who can’t afford the full in-person commitment – not to mention a lot of digital NFT-based art?
BG: We think in person art events will still take precedence. Experiencing art is in the senses, and a physical fair allows you to determine and evaluate your decision to purchase an artwork according to how you respond to it in person.
Having said this, we also see the importance of understanding technology, its needs, and how it provides a different experience to the audience. It’s increasingly important to speak to both a physical audience that will attend, and a broader audience that is interested but cannot visit for whatever reason.
magpie: What’s the future for Art Dubai? The parent company has developed a strong complementary track in the form of Dubai Design Week, but how much growth is possible (or indeed desirable) for the art fair – can you attract more galleries, or have you reached a natural limit at something just over 100 exhibitors?
BG: There is a natural limit to the scale of art fairs that varies according to their specific context. The global art fair landscape is changing rapidly and there is also some recalibration happening post-Covid. The fairs that will remain strongest are those with a strong sense of identity and place – Art Dubai has that in the communities and scenes we showcase and serve.
It is also important to strike a balance between scale and quality. Art Dubai is a boutique global art fair, and we are unique in the geographies we serve. People come to Art Dubai to meet and connect – that’s what we are known for, the human touch, and commitment to our clients. More than the number of galleries, we take pride in how the quality of the fair is growing – being able to discover more interesting things, bring new blood to the scene, and make it ever more exciting for people who come and visit. For us, success is about the path where our community that we nurture is going.
Competition among the global fairs exists of course and the global arts calendar is full. What we offer at Art Dubai is the region, the Arab world, and an interconnection with a wide variety of realities and cultures.
We bring many different players together, and that’s what makes us special.
Art Dubai is at Madinat Jumeirah 9-13 March, 2-9pm each day except 12-6pm on the Sunday (the first two days are invitation-only, though). Public admission is AED 60 for one day, AED 100 for a three-day pass – students and under-18s are free. Tickets are available here or via the Art Dubai app.
Be the first to comment