A Guide To Art Dubai 2018: Your Next Culture Fix

The world’s most international and diverse art fair

Posted on

11 January 2018

The 12th edition of Art Dubai is back in March

Kicking off your Dubai culture calendar is the leading international art fair, Art Dubai 2018, which returns on the 21st March at Madinat Jumeirah for its twelfth edition.

With an ever-growing appreciation of culture and art in the region, artists and gallerists are excited to showcase the latest contemporary and modern works, as the art world arrives in Dubai! Art Dubai 2018 will feature its biggest and most globally diverse event to date with 105 galleries from 48 countries.

Held under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, the event is a platform to interact with art from the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the international art scene. As the art fair mirrors the cosmopolitanism and diversity of its hometown Dubai, its international display helps to develop Dubai's culture even further.

As one of Dubai’s finest events, Art Dubai aims to broaden the conversation on art, highlight and support emerging talent through exhibitions and prizes, and encourage participation and creativity in workshops and lectures.

The art fair’s 2018 edition will see the launch of Residents, a one-of-a-kind 4 week residency programme for international artists who are invited to the UAE to immerse themselves in the local art scene, to create a body of work which merges their distinct artistic practice with their surroundings and their final works presented at the fair.

Highlights also include the Art Dubai Projects, The Abraaj Group Art Prize, Global Art Forum, Campus Art Dubai, both the Contemporary and the Modern Galleries and many more.

Contemporary

Spread across two gallery halls, Art Dubai Contemporary 2018 will feature 32 galleries in its Solo section and 46 galleries in Collective (an area dedicated to multi-artist shows) with both sections mixed across the two Contemporary halls. The artists range from emerging and upcoming practitioners from lesser-known art capitals, to household names. Their works presented will cover all artistic media—including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, photography and performance.

There will be a strong representation of galleries from the Middle East and South Asia, as African art will also feature prominently. 2018 will see a significant contingent of returning galleries from Europe and North America, as well as some new exhibiting talents. The full gallery line-up can be found here.

Modern

An indicator of its ongoing success, Art Dubai Modern 2018 will feature a record number of 16 galleries exhibiting artists from 14 countries. For the first time, Art Dubai Modern will offer the opportunity to see galleries present tightly curated collective exhibitions, in addition to solo and two-artist shows.

Participating galleries will present museum-quality work by renowned Modernists from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, whose work has been influential throughout the 20th century. The full gallery line-up can be found here.

Event Details

Private Days (invitation only)
Monday 19th March 2018: Art Dubai Modern Preview
Tuesday 20th March 2018: Art Dubai Preview, Jumeirah Patrons Preview, The Abraaj Group Art Prize Unveiling

Vernissage
Wednesday 21st March 2018: Ladies Day Preview (open to all ladies)
Wednesday 21st March 2018: VIP Opening (by invitation only)

Public Days
4-9:30pm Thursday 22nd March 2018
2-9:30pm Friday 23rd March 2018
12-6:30pm Saturday 24th March 2018