Abu Dhabi Art 2024

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Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Abu Dhabi Art has announced the participation of 102 established and emerging galleries from 31 countries across the world, at the upcoming 16th edition of the fair, which will take place at Manarat Al Saadiyat from 20th – 24th November 2024.

The 16th edition brings together a group of galleries presenting modern and contemporary art, alongside 3 new Focus sectors at the Fair; Something Bold, Something New, a spotlight on modern artists from the region; The Collectors Salon bringing together galleries presenting artefacts, historical objects, manuscripts and artworks for the first time at Abu Dhabi Art, and Silk Road: Drifting Identities bringing together galleries and artists from Central Asia & the Caucasus.

The gallery sector, Emerge, has also expanded to include 9 galleries, all selling works priced under USD3,000 and the long-standing sector Bidaya will introduce two gallery newcomers to the regional art scene.

HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi stated: “The opening or re-launching of our national museums and institutions in recent years has already had an immeasurable impact on our cultural economy. With the upcoming museum openings confirmed for Saadiyat Cultural District including Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum, the commercial art sector which flies alongside this, is anticipated to enjoy unprecedented growth over the next decade. Abu Dhabi Art serves as an engine for our cultural economy and has played a key role in developing the art market here in the UAE, whilst expanding it globally”.

Galleries returning to Abu Dhabi Art this year in the Modern & Contemporary Sector include GALLERIA CONTINUA, Perrotin, Galerie ISAand Hanart TZ Gallery. New participants in this sector include Richard Saltoun Gallery, 3812 Gallery and JD Malat Gallery. Galleries participating in Special Projects Sector for the first time include Goodman Gallery, Galleria Franco Noero and ATHR; returning participant in this sector includes kó. Galleries participating in the Emerge Sector include returning exhibitor GALERIST, alongside newcomers Perve Galeria and Wusum Gallery. Abu Dhabi Art has also given Rizq Art Initiative the opportunity to take part in Bidaya, which translated from Arabic means ‘beginning’ alongside Bawa from Kuwait.

Something Bold, Something New

Curated by Myrna Ayad, this Sector will consider seminal artists who have played a pivotal part in the art histories of the region. Ayad commented: “The Focus section for Abu Dhabi Art this year highlights modern art from the region, and the 8 participating galleries (most of whom are regular participants at Abu Dhabi Art) will present some never-seen-before works by modernists whose practices and legacies are long overdue recognition and appreciation. From Tunisia and Egypt to Palestine and Lebanon, through to Saudi Arabia, to nearby Iran and up north to France, the participating galleries showcase an inspiring set of modernists, including some pioneering female artists, operating from the early 1960s through to the early 1980s.”

The eight participating galleries in Something Bold, Something New and their showcased artists include: Emily Fanous Azar and Nabila Hilmi (Gallery One); Inji Efflatoun and Amal Abdenour (lilia ben saleh); Halim Jurdak (Saleh Barakat Gallery); Dr Sami Al Marzoogi (Hafez Gallery); Ihab Shaker (first time participant UBUNTU Art Gallery); Aly Ben Salem (Elmarsa Gallery) and Rafik El Kamel (Selma Feriani Gallery); and Behjat Sadr, Hadi Hazavei and Sirak Melkonian (Aria Gallery).

The Collectors Salon

A groundbreaking addition, this Sector marks the first time the fair will feature manuscripts, astrolabes, historical objects and rare books, responding to a framework pioneered by the Louvre Abu Dhabi in exploring connections between civilizations and cultures across time. Created by Roxane Zand, the 8 exhibitors in this new category include KESKINER / KENT ANTIQUES, presenting an imperial ceremonial saddlery made for the Ottoman Sultan Selim III (r. 1789-1807), Shapero Rare Books presenting a stand focused on Qur’ans including an incredibly rare 7th-century Hijazi leaf from one of the first Qur’ans, Galerie Ary Jan presenting 19th century Orientalist paintings including works by Jacques Majorelle, Daniel Crouch Rare Books presenting the Asala Collection – a library of over 500 photograph albums containing historical images of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the wider Arab world, book dealer Peter Harrington Rare Books offering an exceptionally rare and significant literary treasure: a carbon typescript of Le Petit Prince, featuring extensive handwritten corrections by its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is believed to be the first written appearance of one of the book’s most famous lines: “On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux” (“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; the essential is invisible to the eye”).Other participants in this sector include INLIBRIS presenting two original brush drawings, adorning a signed and inscribed first edition of Picasso’s wartime Buffon, Almine Rech with works by Joel Andrianomearisoa, Ali Cherri, Mehdi Ghadyanloo and Agustin Cardenas and Leila Heller Gallery presenting contemporary carpets by Parviz Tanavoli, Zainab Al Hashemi, and Ali Cha’aban amongst others.

Commenting on the works brought together for this new section Zand stated “The Collectors Salon is a timely reminder that art production stands on the shoulders of what has gone before. Increasingly both art history and art commerce recognize the value of following a narrative that resonates over time, juxtaposing historical depth with modern creativity. We hope this approach enhances perspectives, highlights timeless themes and techniques, and enriches our cultural understanding. The habitat of a true connoisseur is testament to what art has contributed to humanity over time.”

Silk Road; Drifting Identities

This Sector brings together artists and galleries from Central Asia and the Caucasus including Gallery Michael Janssen presenting Gulnar Mukazhanova, The Why Not Gallery & CH64 Gallery presenting Mishiko Sulakauri, Gvantsa Jishkariani, Niniko Morbedadze and Tamaz Nutsubidze and Pygmalion Gallery presenting modern and contemporary artists including Zhanna Nugerbek, Almas Oraqbai and Yerbolat Tolepbay.

The Sector was brought together by Elvira Eevr Djaltchinova-Malets, who commented: “These seem important debuts, because they open long-forgotten discussions around the Silk Road, which has come to represent a journey of self-discovery for travellers, a search for identity, and a time of metamorphosis. The artists exhibited in this sector come from various regions of the Silk Road – from the Mongolian steppes through Central Asia and the Caucasus hills. They draw on personal biographies and shared yet illusive cultural references across these landscapes. These threads come together in the framework of an art bazaar which in my view seems apt; after all, the current art fair model is nothing more than a replicated model of mediaeval Silk Road bazaars, places of clashes and meetings of otherness.”

Dyala Nusseibeh, Director, Abu Dhabi Art concluded: “2024 is a year of firsts for us; a year of expansion at Abu Dhabi Art. This will be the first time we have an exhibitor section dedicated to art that spans centuries – aligned primarily to the fascinating histories of our part of the world. The first time we present pioneering under-researched modern artists from our region in curated exhibition format. The first time we have ever gathered more than 100 galleries together in one space, making this our biggest edition to date. This exciting gallery list is hopefully a drum call for all to mark their calendars and come to explore the fair first-hand this November.”

EXHIBITOR LIST 2024

Press release from Abu Dhabi Art

Image: Inji Efflatoun. Les cueilleuses de dattes. 1981. Oil on masonite. 37 x 49 cm. Photography by Maurine Tric. Image courtesy of Abu Dhabi Art

Abu Dhabi, UAE

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20 Nov 2024 - 24 Nov 2024

Abu Dhabi Art 2024

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