The 14th edition of the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, which is being sponsored by H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, will begin to welcome visitors at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16 at Manarat Al Saadiyat and continue through Sunday, November 20. This year’s fair is free to enter, although pre-registration via the Abu Dhabi Art website is required to reserve tickets.
The Department of Culture and Tourism—Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is organizing the fair, which is back this year with its broadest lineup yet. Over 900 works of art are displayed by 80 galleries from 28 countries, representing over 300 international artists. In addition to a comprehensive, expertly curated fair program, this year’s edition will welcome 33 new galleries from Colombia, France, Tunisia, Italy, Nigeria, South Korea, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, the UAE, and other countries.
As guest curators and collaborators for galleries at the fair, renowned art historian Rachida Triki, gallerist Jade Yeşim Turanl, and arts journalist Riccarda Mandrini are all invited to Abu Dhabi Art this year. My Life in the Metaverse, organized by Dr. Omar Kholeif as part of Abu Dhabi Art’s Gateway programme, will feature brand-new pieces by Abdullah Al Saadi, Marinella Senatore, Shilpa Gupta, and Conrad Shawcross.
Saam Samiee, working with the Photography Studio, Manarat Al Saadiyat, the Farideh Lashai Foundation in Basel, Switzerland, and the Leila Heller Gallery, is the exhibition’s curator. HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa, the Mohammed Afkhami Collection, Maryam Massoudi, Farhad Bakhtiar Bakhtiari, Mana Jalalian, and the estate of Farideh Lashai have all generously loaned artworks to the exhibition.
As part of this year’s Artist Commissions in Cultural Sites initiative, Abu Dhabi Art has hired four artists to produce brand-new public installations that will be installed in significant historical locations throughout the emirate. New works by Conrad Shawcross, Shilpa Gupta, Marinella Senatore, and Abdullah Al Saadi are among the 2022 commissions. These pieces will be displayed in Al Ain, Al Hosn, and Manarat Al Saadiyat, the location of Abu Dhabi Art. On November 16, the opening day of the fair, the installations will be unveiled to the public. They will be on display until January 22, 2023.
Abu Dhabi Art provides inspiring courses, masterclasses taught by artists, tours in English and Arabic, and competitions for people of all ages. With a focus on accessible public involvement, this year’s varied lineup of programmes and events includes talks, performances, workshops, and tours, some of which are conducted by artists and curators and are organized at Manarat Al Saadiyat as well as sites where this year’s commissions are located. For tours, advanced reservations are required.
Daily in-depth discussions will be led by art and culture experts. They will focus on issues like building museum collections in the area, art in North Africa, women in art, digital art and NFTs, how art can improve society, and famous artists.
