Abu Dhabi, 24 November 2023: Abu Dhabi Art has announced its daily schedule of programmes for the annual fair set to open to the public on the 22nd of November to 26 November, at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. The upcoming 15th edition of the Abu Dhabi Art Fair is the largest one yet and will host a number of exhibitions, commissions, talks, performances, workshops, tours and culinary experiences.
Frozen Forest Curated by Radicants
This year, Cookbook curator Nicolas Bourriaud returns, with an exhibition titled Frozen Forest, alongside Michelin Star restaurant Nouri and Chef Ivan Brehm, explores themes of capitalism, humanity, and sustainability. Through the curatorial platform Radicants, Nicolas Bourriaud will present a live exhibition facilitated by a 7-hour and 20-minute long video highlighting the artistic portrayals of 12 gallery artists, who will provoke ideas about the extinction of nature through the hands of human desire for industrialization and capitalism. The exhibition will explore the arrest and manipulation of edible landscapes, questioning humanity’s collective disassociation from the natural world that is used for sustenance but neglected in terms of environmental care.
Nouri at the Frozen Forest will be a dining experience that explores the concepts of human collaboration and the notion of scarcity as parallels, further discovering the contradictions that exist between modern societies and the natural world that enables them. Diners will witness the connection between humanity, modern society, and the natural world that both sustains and uplifts each community with dishes that feature edible landscapes, enhancing the experience of dining within an exhibition and crossing the conventional borders of food with the unique collaboration between the Radicants, Nouri and Chef Ivan Brehm; along with the Singaporean research centre Appetite.
The dining experience takes place at the Auditorium in Manarat Al Saadiyat which will be transformed into an immersive, private experience and exhibition space. Available daily for lunch from 12:30 – 2:30 PM.
Advance booking is required by emailing here.
Talks
Commissioned artists and curators will present their work at the fair and are joined by guest speakers and panellists discussing global art histories and joining the wider conversation on Sustainability in the lead-up to COP28. Programme Partners, including Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and Manar Abu Dhabi, will also host an array of local and international speakers.
Taking place daily from 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm, at the Theatre in Manarat Al Saadiyat, the 2023 Talks include:
24 | 11 | 2023
| 4:00 – 5:00 PM | Social Contributions in Art & Culture talks, featuring Ma’an Abu Dhabi, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and 81 Designs. |
25 | 11 | 2023
| 2:30 – 4:00 PM | Talks on Arab Women Artists, moderated by this year’s Gallery Focus representative, Essia Hamdi, alongside representatives from Christie’s MENA and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. |
Performances
A series of musical and visual performances are planned to take place daily in and around Manarat Al Saadiyat and Berklee Abu Dhabi by acclaimed local and international artists. The highlights of the programme include:
24 – 26 | 11 | 2023
| 6:00 – 6:30 PM | ‘Gahwa Beats: Tradition Meets Tempo’ presented by Bait Al Gahwa. A journey through the art of traditional Gahwa (Arabic coffee) preparation, from the first roast to the final pour, set to a pulsating backdrop of modern music. |
| Various timings | Performances by international DJs |
Film Screenings
This year, two captivating films centred around climate change will be showcased at The Theatre:
25| 11 | 2023
| 8:00 – 9:00 PM | ‘1.5 Stay Alive’ follows popular Caribbean musicians as they express their experiences with rising seas by composing and performing songs about climate change, and their visions of how to confront it. |
26| 11 | 2023
| 4:00 – 4:30 PM | ‘Siege on my Land’, is a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) short film showcasing Guyana’s battle with climate change. |
Drop-in-studios
The fair will also feature hands-on art activities for people of all ages to unleash their creativity and showcase their artistic potential to artists. The drop-in studios run daily between 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM with all materials provided by the team, and are divided into three age categories:
- Children’s Drop-In Studio, where children can discover a variety of artistic mediums through self-led hands-on art activities. The session will run for 1.5 hours and is open to children between 3-5 years old – accompanied by an adult – at AED 30.
- Juniors’ Drop-In Studio, where kids between the ages of 6 – 12 years old can discover a variety of artistic mediums through self-led hands-on art activities, at AED 30 for 1.5 hours. Children between 6 – 8 years old are to be accompanied by an adult.
- Teen & Adult Drop-In Studio, where people can create artwork at their own pace, offering self-led ‘Painting & Drawing’ and ‘Ceramics’ activities at AED 50 for 2 hours.
Entry to the Fair is free, and visitors can register through the Abu Dhabi Art website. To view the full programme for the 15th edition of the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, some sessions require pre-booking in advance.