Abu Dhabi Art Will Return This Year

Lindsay Judge   |   24-05-2021

Abu Dhabi Art Fair will return in a physical form this November.

 

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that this year’s edition will return to Manarat Al Saadiyat in a physical format and run from 18 to 21 November.

 

 

HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi Art is a platform for cultural connectivity, bringing together artists, galleries, institutions and arts professionals and fostering creativity by connecting them. Whilst the last year has brought up many challenges and issues for the art world, it has also brought forth opportunities to innovate. This pandemic has shown us that our way forward is through collaboration, adaptation and innovation. For any society to blossom, culture must be part of its DNA, and must be integral to its aspirations for progression and development. Abu Dhabi Art has adapted swiftly to the challenges that have faced the art ecosystem during the pandemic and will contribute to cultural growth and to the art market in the UAE with renewed vigour this year. We look forward to welcoming visitors and the community back to the fair this November.”

 

Rawdha Al Ketbi, Cuprum, 2019

 

This year, Abu Dhabi Art will be also showcasing several new commissioned installations at locations across the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The art-driven experiences are a natural extension of the fair’s Beyond: Artist Commissions Programme, which launched in 2017 and brings site-specific works to world heritage sites in Al Ain each year. Abu Dhabi Art has been working closely with commissioned artists on their new works, as well as with DCT Abu Dhabi, to create eco-driven experiences in these unique locations.

 

Ayesha Hadhir, Rawdha Al Ketbi and Shaikha Al Ketbi Naseej, 2019

 

Each year, the fair collaborates with artists to create its visual campaign and this year it will feature works by Emirati artists Ayesha Hadhir, Rawdha Khalifa Al Ketbi and Shaikha Fahad Al Ketbi, which were first created as part of Beyond: Emerging Artists in 2019. In these works they jointly explore the idea of transformation in different environments, from seascapes and the desert, to abandoned cityscapes.

 

The event will combine physical and virtual elements for a one-of-a-kind experience that builds on last year’s purely digital exhibition.

 

\Guest Artists and Curators for 2021 will be announced in the coming months, along with further details on the emirate-wide programme for the fair.

 

Applications are now open for galleries to exhibit at the 13th edition of the fair in November.

 

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