This year, Benedetta Ghione is celebrating her 10th year as the Executive Director of Art Dubai, overseeing the strategic direction and execution of the fair. Since 2015, Ghione has been instrumental in shaping Art Dubai’s vision and growth.
Under Ghione’s guidance, Art Dubai has played a significant role in the regional cultural landscape, contributing to the development of the Middle East’s art scene and engaging with a diverse global audience. Arguably, her leadership has also been key in establishing Art Dubai as a platform for showcasing work from the Global South and fostering year-round programming and partnerships. We recently spoke to Ghione to learn more about what we can expect from Art Dubai 2025, which will be held at Madinat Jumeirah this month from the 16th to the 20th of April.
You’ve been with Art Dubai since 2015. How has your vision for the fair evolved over the past decade?
I think some of the elements that make the fair really special have been there since its inception. One of the things that we’ve continuously tried to do has been to reimagine what an art fair can be and can do. Of course, at the heart of it, it’s a commercial platform, and it has been a motor for the development of a market and for making Dubai a regional art market hub. But it’s also always had non-commercial programming too, which has grown a lot, and has now become a year-round element.
And then I think the other thing that has evolved the most over the past decade or so has been the city itself and the extended region around us. We are really fortunate to be in a dynamic and thriving city that is within an equally dynamic and thriving region.
Part of Art Dubai’s DNA is being a fair of discovery, a fair of innovation, and a fair where you may be able to see artwork that you wouldn’t necessarily see elsewhere. It’s also a gateway for people to be exposed to lesser-known and lesser-represented artists and geographies, which is also something that we’ve always focused on.
What aspects of Art Dubai’s growth are you personally most proud of?
I think what is really precious to us is this idea of impact. Art Dubai is obviously an event, and we aim to engage audiences, but we’re also really concerned with the idea of lasting impact. So through that aim, we have developed educational programmes that help to train the next generation of not just artists but also cultural practitioners.
The development of some of our key programmes, for example, the A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme, which we run in partnership with A.R.M. Holding [a private investment firm] and goes into schools and teaches thousands of children every year about culture and the importance of creativity.
The launch of our Art Dubai Digital platform is an area in which we became leaders when we were one of the first organistations to build a bridge between what we call the ‘analog art world’ and the ‘digital art world’ and try and bring conversations to the foreground about what the space can be and do.
The 2025 edition features over 120 exhibitors from more than 50 cities. What strategies have been implemented to ensure such a diverse representation? Are there any markets that are particularly important to you in terms of representation?
In terms of strategy, we have always focused on the extended region, underrepresented geographies and a non-Western perspective. So, in a way, we have built a reputation of being an art fair of discovery and a gateway to these markets. At this point, a lot of the material comes to us, and I think what we have done is retain that kind of identity and invest in finding ways to champion these narratives.
To do so, we work with curators a lot. This year, we have a stellar cast of curators across our four sections – modern, contemporary, Bawwaba and our Dubai Digital platform – and they act as sentinels in a way. They are the ones who are on the ground and who are speaking to galleries and to artists and identifying those really interesting stories that need to be told.
Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem’s digital commission, presented by Julius Baer, is a highlight this year. How does this collaboration reflect Art Dubai’s commitment to digital art?
One of the most important things for us is our partners’ commitment to the development of the art scene and this year, Julius Baer is celebrating their 10th anniversary as a partner of Art Dubai. Of course, they do so by supporting the fair itself and the platform. But I think it’s fabulous to see that after having commissioned very important international digital artists such as Refika Anadol and Krista Kim, which Julius Baer had last year and the year before last, and this year for their 10th anniversary have chosen to showcase their commitment to the UAE by selecting an Emirati artist, and obviously a very important and meaningful one, with an artist like Mohammed Qasem.
Can you tell us a bit about the collaboration between Piaget and artist Alyamamah Rashed for this year’s fair and its significance? Are there any other luxury collaborations at this year’s event?
Piaget has commissioned Alimama Rashad this year ,and she’s creating a really beautiful new bespoke art piece that is inspired and speaks to their exhibition which is called “Play of Shape”. And I think again, this is going to be such a powerful kind of partnership and collaboration. You have a sort of centenary high jewelry house that is allowing relatively young, fresh and great talent to be showcased.
I think from what I’ve seen of the work that is being commissioned, they’re gonna be in a beautiful dialogue, the work and the showcase. And again, know, similar idea, this notion of really supporting talent and of making sure that the presence at the fair is always integrated with culture and speaks to that.
It’s something that we’re fortunate enough to have across all of our partnerships. So for example, we also have BMW, who is a long-term partner and who has a long and important tradition of supporting talent, specifically through their Art Car programme. So they’re celebrating the 50 years of the Art Car initiative this year. And we’re gonna be showcasing Andy Warhol’s work.
We’re also going to have Ruinard, who also have an extensive cultural programme showcasing work by Julian Charriere. We’re going to have Clinique La Prairie, who are going to be curating a series of conversations bridging culture, wellness and notions of longevity.
Art Dubai fosters year-round programming. How do these initiatives reinforce the fair’s long-term impact beyond the event itself?
I think it’s really important to have a moment of coming together and of gathering [for the art fair]. But in parallel to that, I think it’s also really important to create a long-term cultural ecosystem to build growth and impact.
An example is our partnership with Alserkal Avenue. The district is a long-term friend and collaborator of ours, and we’ve worked together in a manner of ways through the years. But this year, we’re going into a more formalised partnership whereby we’re going to be co-commissioning work.
This means that work that is commissioned for the fair can then have an afterlife and become part of the fabric of the city through being displayed at Alserkal Avenue.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Art Dubai’s future editions?
We are expanding our team and have several wonderful colleagues who are joining us. Dunja Gottweis is going to be running the Art Dubai Fair going forward from the next edition. Alexie Glass-Kantor is joining our team as executive director of curatorial and will be working across the broader art programme too. So I think one part of our long-term planning is capacity building.
And then I think the idea is to stay – in many ways – as we are. You know, I think we’ve been quite an innovative model of how an art fair can go beyond traditional boundaries. So I hope that as we grow and as we develop new initiatives, our core DNA and what is so special and unique about Art Dubai remains.
