Art Dubai was one of the first international-scale art fairs of 2020 to announce its postponement. In what feels like a neat example of reciprocity, Art Dubai was the world’s first in-person art fair to be held in 2021 – albeit at a reduced scale, in three tents in at DIFC rather than the plush ballrooms of the Madinat Jumeirah; with Covid restrictions in place, and masks mandatory; and without most of the sideshows and extras that we’ve come to associate with such events.
Given the constraints, a few weeks there was a palpable air of nervousness about the whole thing: would the galleries be up for it, especially given the travel restrictions imposed by some of their home countries? Would the buyers turn up? Would anyone turn up?
Well, over 18,000 visitors did. With timed slots for admission, the show was just about sold out before it opened for the three public days. And the galleries were there as well – 50 of them (it’s usually 85 or so) from 31 countries.
The galleries were happy, too, both with a new payment model to help them participate – they paid Art Dubai 50 percent of sales made during the fair, up to the cost of the booth – and with the level of sales achieved (so the fair got the booth fee income it was expecting). The official word was that sales were “robust”; reportedly business topped $3 million in the first three (VIPs-only) days, and we hear that wasn’t far removed from pre-pandemic figures.
Victoria Cooke of Gallery 1957 in Accra, Ghana sold to “important collectors” and made some key new introductions, “a reminder that in-person connections are integral to the art market”. Another expression of confidence came from Galerie Nathalie Obadia of Paris, which was back after a five-year gap; senior director Maimiti Cazalis said the gallery had been “very impressed by the quality of the visitors attending the fair” and sold works from all the artists it showed. And Custot Gallery Dubai probably had some of the highest sales – a pair of works by Ian Davenport going for $120-150,000 with one by Fabienne Verdier at $150,000, and two by the Greek painter Sophia Vari for between $45,000 and $70,000.
William Lawrie of Dubai-based Lawrie Shabibi gallery was “stunned by the number of collectors who had come from all corners of the world, despite travel restrictions and red tape”. His conclusion: “Art Dubai pulled off something amazing, at a time that much of the rest of the art world is at a standstill … There was a concentrated energy throughout the run of the fair, lots of excitement and some great sales”.
So what have we learned? Clearly there’s still a strong preference for seeing art in person, whether you’re buying or rubbernecking. And there’s equally an appetite to sell in person: the personal connection remains critical, and you don’t get much more personal than looking someone in the eye (even if the eyes are wearing a mask too).
Equally it seems likely that some of the innovations will continue. Seven dealers took advantage of a remote participation program for galleries that were unable to attend in person; their booths were manned by Art Dubai people, and QR codes meant buyers could specify the art they wanted to discuss online with the faraway gallerists.
It’s not clear how successful this was, and Art Dubai certainly wouldn’t want to pass up the chance for full booth fees, but the system seemed to be operating efficiently and could easily be adapted as a taster option for first-timers and the less well endowed galleries.
Above all, Art Dubai seems to be fulfilling its self-declared goal of being a key regional hub. Many galleries clearly rely on the fair to connect to local but also international collectors; Art Dubai is a big opportunity to access moneyed buyers that they might not otherwise encounter.
The show-now-pay-later system definitely looks a candidate for retention in some form: Ben Floyd, the event’s MD, was quoted as saying “I expect an element of this will continue in the future”.
The high cost of booth rental at art fairs is compounded by the steadily rising ancillary costs – for transportation, accommodation, and increasing for security too. If Art Dubai can come up with a working model that attracts galleries without risking too much of its income, it could be on to a winner.
Or maybe it will be a blockchain future. Dubai is attracting a lot of the putative movers and shakers in the crypto business, government is keen to develop blockchain applications, and the Emirate could quickly become a global leader in blockchain. Decentralised settlements, automated royalties, global access, baked-in security and traceability, works for all asset classes include physical works and digital NFTs – it might be simpler, safer, and generally more elegant all round.
The galleries’ artworks are still viewable via the online catalogue.
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