Ahead of the public opening this week in Abu Dhabi, the founder of NOMAD speaks to Canvas about the location of the decommissioned Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport and what the fair will contribute to the cultural atmosphere of the city and beyond.
Canvas: What is NOMAD and how did it start?
Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte: NOMAD is a travelling showcase for art and collectible design. The concept of a showcase is to generate a dialogue between great architectural locations and the artworks. We’ve been doing it for over 16 editions across four countries, and the UAE is now the fifth. We have another coming up in June, in the Hamptons in the United States.
NOMAD embraces each location, and in Abu Dhabi the old airport is a jewel of Modernism designed by Paul Andreu. The link between the works and the context is incredible, it brings another way to perceive art and design. It is something that can only be experienced in person, to discover these great exchanges. This intimate experience also creates a great experience for visitors because we have a boutique format, with around 40, and a maximum of 50, galleries taking part. Everything is contained, and you have a sense of scale and accessibility.
How do you select locations? How did the location of Abu Dhabi come about?
It’s quite a long process because we have many requirements for each location, in terms of size and architectural relevance, and we don’t create artificial divisions in order to respect the original layout and flow. It’s important to find a location that can accommodate galleries naturally. Here in Abu Dhabi, we have the former Duty-Free shops that have been transformed, as well as the terminal gates which will also become a gallery with large-scale presentations.
Abu Dhabi happened because, since 2019, I’ve been looking expand NOMAD in the Middle East. After a very long process of reflection, evaluation and conversation, we concluded that Abu Dhabi has one of the most mature design and art collecting platforms. The UAE has had two fairs for more than 20 years now, as well as a large population of expats and collectors from all over the world who contribute to generating this space.
NOMAD is also about being a boutique destination and Abu Dhabi was perfect for us because, of all the capitals and big cities of the Middle East, Abu Dhabi has the most boutique format. Culturally speaking, it’s very interesting also what’s happening with Saadiyat Island and there was a great opportunity to collaborate with the city through the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), as well as the Modern Heritage Department. DCT opened their full catalogue of buildings for us to look at, and after months of research and site visits, we came across the former airport terminal and it clicked. It was this symbol for 40 years as one of the travel main hubs. Everyone has stepped foot here, either for a connecting flight, departing or landing. It has this mosaic roof and it is definitely a huge architectural memory for so many people. I think to bring back this memory with a cultural event is definitely something magical and it will be a unique experience for everyone
How do you see this event contributing to the wider cultural atmosphere of the region?
I’m very excited, because there’s so much anticipation and everywhere I’ve been in the past two weeks has a great sense of momentum building. I think the region is craving for a collectible design and art fair and it is the right moment to bring NOMAD here. There are also people travelling from all over the world to come to Abu Dhabi this week, what with everything that is happening here. As far as NOMAD is concerned, I’m very curious to see what the response will be from the collectors, interior designers and architects who will be coming to see the projects, and if they will integrate them into their own projects or collections.
The fair also features the new large-scale Departure section. What can you share about it?
Departure is a great new initiative that developed from the context of the location, and that’s what I love. We discovered that we have this rotunda, which is the main space for all of the galleries, and the main entrance was originally the departure hall. It is incredibly big, but also fantastic in terms of architecture. We wondered what we could do there, because we didn’t feel it was right to bring more galleries and go against our boutique format. So, we decided to dedicate it to large-scale art works. We discussed this with Etihad Airways, and they loved the idea of supporting artists and designers from the region, but also beyond borders from the new destinations that the airline flies to.
