Art Dubai

Art Dubai (Arabic: آرت دبي, romanized: Ārt Dubayy) is an international art fair that takes place every spring in Dubai.

Founded in 2007, the fair serves as a cultural platform rooted in the Middle East, and has become one of the most significant global art gatherings for the Middle East and the Global South, shaping dialogue between regional and international art ecosystems.

Each edition, Art Dubai Fair presents a globally diverse lineup of approximately 120 galleries from more than 35 countries. Alongside this is a series of institutional collaborations, artist commissions and an extensive talks and conference programme.

Art Dubai Galleries (formerly Contemporary) features commercial galleries operating on the primary market that have been established for at least two years. The section spotlights exhibitors whose programs set benchmarks for creativity, curatorial excellence, and cultural dialogue, ranging from emerging practitioners to industry heavyweights. The works presented cover a diverse range of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, photography, and performance.^[1]

The Art Dubai Selection Committee for 2026 includes Andrée Sfeir-Semler (Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg), Priyanka Raja (Experimenter, Kolkata/Mumbai), and Selma Feriani (Selma Feriani Gallery, Tunis).^[1]

Zamaniyyat (from zaman, the Arabic word for "time"), is a dedicated platform featuring solo and group presentations that revisit the work of artists who shaped global modernisms throughout the 20th century. Curated by Dr. Sarah A. Rifky for the 2026 edition, the section brings together galleries and artists from over 20 countries to trace the movement of modernism through art schools, publications, and institutions.^[1]

This section focuses on tracing modernism across uneven global histories rather than a single shared timeline, highlighting masterworks that have shaped regional and international art ecosystems.^[1]

Art Dubai Digital was launched in 2022 to showcase artworks created with digital technology, including AI-driven data sculptures, interactive screen-based installations, and multisensory practices. The 2026 edition, titled Myth of the Digital, is curated by Ulrich Schrauth and Nadine Khalil. The section affirms digital and immersive art as a vital force in contemporary discourse rather than a marginal genre.^[1]

Notable curators of past editions include Chris Fussner (2022), Clara Che Wei Peh (2023), Auronda Scalera and Alfredo Cramerotti (2024), and Gonzalo Herrero Delicado (2025). Artists previously exhibited include Refik Anadol, Krista Kim, and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.^[2]

Launched in 2019, Bawwaba (Arabic for "gateway") is a curated section dedicated to solo presentations of newly produced work by emerging to mid-career artists. It serves as a portal for discovery, particularly focusing on current artistic developments from the Global South, including the Middle East, Africa, Central and South Asia, and Latin America.^[1]

The 2026 edition is curated by Amal Khalaf and focuses on themes of belonging, movement, and resilience. A new extension, **Bawwaba Extended**, curated by Amal Khalaf and Alexie Glass-Kantor, transforms the fair site into a dynamic space for interdisciplinary innovation through installations, sound, and public interventions.^[1]

Launched in 2026, Bawwaba Extended is an artist-focused section dedicated to interdisciplinary artistic practices that span the entire fair environment. Unlike the traditional gallery booth format, this section transforms the Madinat Jumeirah site into a dynamic space for experimentation and innovation through large-scale installations, digital media, moving images, sound, and public interventions.^[1]

The inaugural edition of Bawwaba Extended is curated by Amal Khalaf and Alexie Glass-Kantor, Executive Director of Curatorial for the Art Dubai Group. The section aims to explore where art, design, and innovation meet, providing a platform for artists whose work operates beyond conventional boundaries.^[1]

The Global Art Forum is the largest annual arts conference in the Middle East and Asia and takes place every year at Art Dubai.^[3] The conference features live talks, panel discussions and performances by regional and international thought leaders, artists, curators and writers such as Hans Ulrich Obrist, Michael Stipe and Christo.^[4]

In 2025, Global Art Forum was organised by Commissioner Shumon Basar and Curators Y7 (Hannah Cobb and Declan Colquitt). The edition entitled ‘The New New Normal’, examined how change keeps changing, often making everyday life feel more unsettling and unpredictable than science fiction.^[5]

Art Dubai's non-for-profit educational programming, provides programmes for children through to post-graduates. Art Dubai's education initiatives include Campus Art Dubai, a community art school for UAE-based artists, curators, writers, designers and enthusiasts, and Forum Fellows, a fellowship that brings together young curators and writers from the Middle East. The fair also has an internship and volunteer programme.^[6]

In May 2023, Art Dubai announced the results of an 'Economic Impact Study' by market research consultancy IPSOS that revealed that Art Dubai 2023 had delivered an outstanding direct economic impact of AED143 million to the city.

• Art Dubai Website
• Art Exhibitions and Events Dubai