ART DUBAI 2015
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Founded in 2007, Art Dubai sees in 2015 its ninth edition, taking place March 18-21, 2015, under
the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and
Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai.
The galleries halls are presented through three programmes -- Contemporary, Modern and
Marker and include 92 galleries from 40 countries, making this year’s fair the largest and the most
global to date.
Art Dubai’s extensive not-for-profit programme includes Art Dubai Projects; an exhibition of works
by winners of the annual The Abraaj Group Art Prize; a range of educational programmes
including Sheikha Manal Little Artists and the community school Campus Art Dubai; and the
critically-acclaimed Global Art Forum.
Art Dubai is held in partnership with The Abraaj Group and is sponsored by Emaar and Julius Baer.
Madinat Jumeirah is home to the event. Mashreq Private Banking is the exclusive partner of Art
Dubai Modern. The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority is a strategic partner of Art Dubai, and
supports the fair’s year-round education program
GALLERIES
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The Contemporary halls include 72 galleries, selected via a stringent independent committee
process.
Several galleries have opted to present ambitious solo and two-person shows.
Audiences will discover the work of more than 500 artists, from an extraordinarily diverse roster of
galleries that includes the world’s most influential alongside fresh, upcoming art spaces.
ART DUBAI MODERN
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Inaugurated in 2014 to showcase the works of artists who proved influential in the twentieth century,
particularly through the vibrant modern period of the 1940s to 1980s -- expands in 2015 to include
masters from across Africa, as well as the Middle East and South Asia. In 2015, Art Dubai Modern
grows to include 15 gallery exhibitions.
Each gallery presents a solo or two-person show, with work by masters from Africa, the Middle East
and South Asia.
Art Dubai Modern’s advisory committee includes Savita Apte, Catherine David, Kristine Khouri,
Nada Shabout and Bisi Silva.
MARKER
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Marker is Art Dubai’s curated programme, located within the fair’s gallery halls, which focuses each
year on a particular theme or geography, accentuating Art Dubai’s role as a fair of discovery and a
site for intellectual exchange.
In 2015, Marker turns its focus to Latin America and the historical and contemporary connections
between this region and the Arab world.
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Curated by Luiza Teixeira de Freitas, Marker 2015 is the largest showcase of Latin American art in
the Gulf to date. The extended multidisciplinary programme features over 40 artists, and includes
artists’ books, sound projects, performance and film, as well as drawing, painting and installation
from Latin America.
GLOBAL ART FORUM
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The Global Art Forum was launched in 2007 by Art Dubai as a platform for discussion and debates.
Global Art Forum 2015 takes on the theme of technologies, and their impact on the world of art,
culture and beyond; it is codirected by Turi Munthe and Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, with Shumon
Basar as Director-at-Large.
The Global Art Forum begins, for the first time, in Kuwait, where it also features a workshop on
digitising archives.
50 local and international contributors from the worlds of art, tech, literature, philosophy, and
media participate in the ninth edition.
The Forum features more participation from the Gulf than ever before, with speakers including
former Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabi magazine Sulaiman Al Askari, the artists’ collective GCC, Dubai’s
Higher Colleges of Technology director Dr. Saoud Al Mulla, Hessa Al Ossaily of Al Oula radio and
Kuwaiti writers and academics Al Anoud Al Sharekh and Mai Al-Nakib, among others.
ART DUBAI PROJECTS
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A programme of residencies and new commissions curated in 2015 by Lara Khaldi.
A.i.R Dubai residency programme, a partnership between Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Tashkeel,
Delfina Foundation and Art Dubai, returns to Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and grows to
include an extended educational outreach programme.
2015 marks the launch of Art Dubai Commissions, featuring site-specific works by midcareer
regional and international artists Art Dubai Projects commissions artists to create new, site-specific
works, exhibited at Art Dubai and Al Serkal Avenue.
Campus Art Dubai’s Core class take on producing Art Dubai Radio, with a week-long programme
of sound, music and talks, live at the fair.
In 2015, as part of Marker, Videobrasil has been invited to present curated programmes in the Art
Dubai Cinema.
ABRAAJ GROUP ART PRIZE EXHIBTION
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The Abraaj Group Art Prize was founded in 2008 and is now in its seventh edition. The aim of the
prize is to empower potential and give often under-represented contemporary artists the resources
to further develop their talent. Following the application and jury process, four artists are shortlisted
for the prize and one (of the four) artists awarded the $100,000 commission.
The three shortlisted artists receive a cash prize and are represented in a group exhibition at Art
Dubai (March 18-21, 2015) through previous works, which will be carefully selected by the guest
curator in liaison with the artist. The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2015 winner is Yto Barrada, who will
be showing her new commissioned work alongside works by shortlisted artists Sarnath
Banerjee, Setareh Shahbazi and Mounira Al Solh. The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2015 Guest
Curator is Omar Kholeif.
SHEIKHA MANAL LITTLE ARTIST PROGRAM
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Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
The programme of artist-conceived projects for children, a partnership between Art Dubai and The
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Cultural Office, returns for the third year at Art Dubai
Art Dubai and The Cultural Office have invited Colombian artist Nicolás Paris to create and lead
specially-designed workshops and tours for teenagers, as well as a week of workshops in Dubai
schools the week before Art Dubai.
The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program 2015 also includes a range of interactive tours for children
and teenagers, designed to bring alive the galleries and exhibited artworks.
CAMPUS ART DUBAI
Campus Art Dubai (CAD), held in partnership with Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai
Culture) and supported by Dubai Design District (d3), launched its third season in October 2014.
It is the only school of its kind in the GCC, and now recognised internationally as a leading
example of how forms of alternative arts education can benefit both careerists and the community.
Campus Art Dubai provides seminars, workshops, critiques and one-on-one mentorship for artists,
curators, writers and cultural enthusiasts based in the UAE, with all tuition provided free-ofcharge. Courses are taught and led—both in English and Arabic—by a stellar cast of visiting
academics, critics, curators and artists.
The course provides a space for critical thinking and the exchange of ideas and skills, with
participants encouraged to collaborate, debate and challenge.