Art Dubai's 7th Edition > What to Look Forward to > March 20-23 > @artdubai

Farideh Lashai, Between the Motion, And the Act, Falls the Shadow, 2012, Two 15 minute projections., Artist_1

The seventh edition of Art Dubai takes place March 20-23, 2013, at Madinat Jumeirah. Art Dubai 2013 features 75 galleries from 29 countries, and showcases the works of over 500 artists. Art Dubai 2013 also boasts a strong not-for-profit programme of curatorial and educational projects, including a new sculpture park; 11 site-specific works; a live radio station; curated film and video screenings; commissioned performances; the launch of Sheikha Manal Little Artists projects for children; artists’ and curators’ residencies; the third edition of dXb Store; plus the unveiling of works by the winners of the annual Abraaj Group Art Prize and the 7^th iteration of the critically–acclaimed Global Art Forum.

 

PARTICIPATING Galleries And Artists

Art Dubai 2013 hosts 75 galleries from 29 countries:

Following the success of Art Dubai in 2012, many key galleries are returning in March 2013. To name just a few, Athr Gallery (Jeddah), Galerie Chantal Crousel (Paris), D Gallerie (Jakarta), Experimenter (Kolkata), Alexander Gray Associates (New York), Grey Noise (Dubai), Galerie Rodolphe Janssen (Brussels), Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna), Platform China (Beijing/Hong Kong), The Third Line (Dubai), The Pace Gallery (London/Beijing/New York) and Sfeir-Semler (Hamburg/Beirut) are once again engaging with visitors at Art Dubai.

New international entrants, including GAGProjects (Adelaide/Berlin), Yvon Lambert (Paris), Victoria Miro (London), Almine Rech Gallery (Paris/Brussels), Schleicher/Lange (Berlin/Paris) and Tanja Wagner (Berlin) are making their debut at Art Dubai. Additionally, Rampa and Rodeo are among five galleries from Istanbul participating in the 2013 fair. 

The seventh edition of Art Dubai reflects the ever-accelerating growth of the local and regional art scene. Art Dubai hosts more artists and galleries from the Arab world than any other arts event. Over 500 artists are participating in Art Dubai, brought together by the selected exhibiting galleries and the fair’s extensive non-commercial programming. Artists set to have a high profile at Art Dubai 2013 include: Abdul Qader Al Rais, Etel Adnan, Kutlug Ataman, Yto Barrada, Daniel Buren, Annabel Daou, Wim Delvoye, Meschac Gaba, Wade Guyton, Zarina Hashmi, Mona Hatoum, Iman Issa, Idris Khan, Yayoi Kusama, MadeIn Company, François Morellet, Nasir Nasrallah, Otobong Nkanga, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Seth Price, Ibrahim Quraishi, Walid Raad, Anri Sala, Taryn Simon, Rirkrit Tiravanija, James Turrell, Joana Vasconcelos, Danh Vo and Akram Zaatari among many others.

Taiye Idahor, 'Head' Series (No. 6), 2012, 61x61cm, Artist_1

 

MArker

For 2013 Marker, a set of curated concept stands located in the fair’s main gallery halls, is focusing on West Africa and is curated by Lagos-based Bisi Silva. Her curatorial concept focuses on the rapidly evolving nature of cities in West Africa and the way in which these changes impact society. She has selected five spaces to work collaboratively with their artists to produce exhibitions for Art Dubai: Centre for Contemporary Art (Lagos, Nigeria); Espace doual'art (Douala, Cameroon); Maison Carpe Diem (Segou, Mali); Nubuke Foundation (Accra, Ghana); and Raw Material Company (Dakar, Senegal). Working together with the curator and the fair, each artspace is presenting works by artists such as Soly Cisse (Senegal), Ablade Glover (Ghana), Abdoulaye Konate (Mali), Boris Nzebo (Cameron), and Taiye Idahor (Nigeria).

This is the third year of Marker at Art Dubai. Following an introductory selection of galleries from across Asia and the Middle East in 2011, Marker 2012 focused on Indonesia, and resulted in the development of long-term cultural links between the Gulf and the world’s most populous Muslim country. Marker exemplifies Art Dubai’s role as a site of discovery and cross-cultural exchange.  Marker 2013 is supported by the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie.

Saad Qureshi, Borrowed From The Shadows, 2010, Variable, courtesy of Saad Qureshi and Aicon Gallery_1

Abraaj group Art Prize

The Abraaj Group Art Prize returns for a fifth year. The winners of the 2013 prize are artists Vartan Avakian (Lebanon), Iman Issa (Egypt), Huma Mulji (Pakistan), Hrair Sarkissian (Syria) and Rayyane Tabet (Lebanon). The artists are working alongside 2013 Guest Curator Murtaza Vali to create major new works that will be revealed at the fair.

SCULPTURE ON THE BEACH

In 2013, Art Dubai launches a new programme, titled Sculpture on the Beach – an exhibition of large-scale works on the Mina A’Salam beach, a five-minute walk from the gallery halls and adjacent to the Art Dubai Beach Brasserie. The inaugural edition of Sculpture on the Beach is curated by Chus Martinez, Chief curator of El Museo del Barrio, formerly Documenta 13’s Head of Department. The selected artists will be announced in February.

Ali Cherri, Going trough my mind, 2011, 50 x 65 cm, Ali Cherri and Imane Farès_1

Global Art Forum

Global Art Forum, the leading platform for cultural discussion and debate, explores ‘Definitionism’ in 2013. Featuring commissioned projects and research, as well as six days of live talks, the Forum brings together a diverse line-up of participants, including artists, musicians, museum directors, strategists, writers, and thinkers.

Art Dubai’s Global Art Forum_7 is presented by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), and is held in partnership with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art (Qatar Museums Authority). It starts in Doha (March 17-18, 2013) before continuing at Art Dubai, Madinat Jumeirah (March 20-23, 2013).

Global Art Forum_7 is titled ‘It Means This’ and features over 40 contributors. New participants to the Forum include Dubai-based political scientist Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla; poet and author Mourid Barghouti (I Saw Ramallah, among other books); artist and former REM lead singer Michael Stipe; writer-editors Charles Arsene-Henry, Brian Kuan Wood (Editor, eflux journal) and Guy Mannes-Abbott (author, In Ramallah, Running); artists Tarek Atoui, Tristan Bera, Manal Al Dowayan, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Shuruq Harb, Hassan Khan, Emeka Ogboh, Slavs and Tatars, Ala Younis; writers Elif Batuman (contributor, New Yorker), Maryam Monalisa Gharavi (Editor-at-Large, The New Inquiry), Oscar Guardiola-Rivera (author of What if Latin America Ruled the World?); Lagos-based writer-editor Tolu Ogunlesi; writer/urbanist Keller Easterling (Professor, Yale University); curator-translator, and Dar Al-Ma’mun founder, Omar Berrada; curators Reem Fadda (Associate Curator, Middle Eastern Art, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, and curator, National Pavilion for the UAE at the 2013 Venice Biennial), Koyo Kouoh (director, Raw Material Company, Dakar), Bisi Silva (director, CCA Lagos) and Tirdad Zolghadr (writer, based at Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College NY); New York-based anthropologist Uzma Z. Rizvi (Assistant Professor, Pratt Institute); composer and musician Andre Vida; and Doha-based analyst and commentator Tarik Yousef.  

Returning speakers include writer and artist Douglas Coupland; curator Lara Khaldi (Director, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah); geostrategist and Director of Hybrid Reality Institute Parag Khanna; Turi Munthe, the founder of ‘citizen journalist’ newswire Demotix; Co-Director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects of the Serpentine Gallery, London, Hans-Ulrich Obrist; art patron and commentator Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, and the Beirut-based critic Kaelen Wilson-Goldie.

ART DUBAI Projects

Art Dubai Projects is a not-for-profit programme of new works and performances that explores the fabric and economy of an art fair, embracing the theatrical nature of such an event.  In 2013, it features:

• Artists-in-Residence (A.i.R) Dubai: The annual residency programme run by Art Dubai, Delfina Foundation, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and Tashkeel, opens the door for six upcoming artists and a curator interested in developing their practice and creating new works in Dubai.  The artists and curator are in residence and working from studios in Dubai’s Creek-side Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood from January 7 to March 31. Their stay culminates in an Open Studios exhibition, held parallel to SIKKA (March 14-24, 2013). Additionally, the international artists are commissioned to create site-specific works for Art Dubai Projects,. A.i.R Dubai 2013 features six artists from across the Middle East and Asia: Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Ammar Al Attar, Dina Danish, Reem Falaknaz, Joe Namy and Yudi Noor, who are working alongside acclaimed curator Bérénice Saliou.

• Commissioned Projects: Along with A.i.R Dubai artists Dina Danish, Joe Namy and Yudi Noor, a further eight artists – Ahmet Öğüt, Shi Jinsong, Basim Magdy, Ehsan Ul Huq, Mohammed Kazem, Hind Bin Demaithan, Farideh Lashai and Mary Evans – are commissioned to create site-specific works for Art Dubai 2013. The artists are creating new works that engage audiences and interact with the fair, its economy and format. Mary Evan’s installation is taking part with special support from the British Council. Artists’ biographies and further information are available at: artdubai.ae/projects

• Children's Art Educational Programme: Art Dubai Projects 2013 also features the launch of the Sheikha Manal Little Artists programme, a set of artist-conceived projects for children and teenagers aged 3-14. This expanded programme for young people includes workshops led by Zid Zid Kids, the Morocco-based trilingual children's art education specialists, plus sketchbooks and discovery tours led by UAE-based artists. This programme is held under the patronage and guidance of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women’s Establishment, Wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs UAE.

• Radio: Fari Bradley, the London-based radio producer and presenter, is creating a dedicated radio station located on site at Art Dubai, with the support of the British Council. Bradley is disseminating audio content via a live radio web-stream, enabling global audiences to better understand Art Dubai and the extent of its offering through interviews with local artists, artists-in-residence plus curators from across the city.

• Performances: Fatima Al Qadiri’s contribution to Art Dubai 2013 provides the fair visitors with a soundtrack to their experience. The New York-based Kuwaiti musician and artist is composing a series of short audio pieces that will be amplified at pre-determined times of the day during the fair’s opening hours. On Thursday March 21, a Performance Night will be hosted at Art Dubai, featuring local and international artists in a dynamic programme of performance, music, film and installation. The 2013 programme is co-presented by Traffic, and curated by Ali MacGilp (A.i.R Dubai curator-in-residence in 2012), with key support from Rami Farouk.

• Mobile Art Gallery (M.A.G): In an effort to take contemporary art to a broader audience, Art Dubai Projects 2013 includes a nomadic, pop-up gallery that operates from a peripatetic truck. The travelling gallery showcases contemporary works by UAE-based artists, including Azim Al Ghussein, Shamsa Al Omaira, Rami Farook, Rania Jishi, Karim Mortada, Sharmeen Syed and Sara AlHaddad. M.A.G will visit different neighborhoods each day of Art Week. M.A.G is initiated and curated by the Dubai-based independent curators Isabella Ellaheh Hughes and Angelle Siyang-Le and is supported by Aramex.

• The Hatch: In 2013, The Hatch, an ordinary stairwell transformed into an intimate space for film and video, is curated by artist Maha Maamoun, co-founder of the Contemporary Image Collective (CiC), Cairo. This year, the Hatch is dedicated to four artists, each represented by a programme of recent work. The video programmes are screened in collaboration with not-for-profit contemporary artspace The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, where the series will be shown throughout April. The selected artists will be announced in February.

Hamdan international photography award

In 2013, Art Dubai showcases the winners of the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA). The award was launched in 2011 under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum with the aim to support talented photographers as well as reflect Dubai’s commitment to the artistic and cultural development of the UAE and beyond. The award is open to both international and local photographers.

DXB Store

The 2013 edition of the dXb Store – a pop-up initiative showcasing the innovative work of UAE-based designers and artists – is presented at Dubai Culture's SIKKA, Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, March 14-24; Design Days Dubai, Downtown Dubai, March 18-21; and Art Dubai, Madinat Jumeirah, March 20-23, 2013.

dXb Store features limited-edition objects, artists’ multiples, jewelry, portable furniture, stationary and clothes, illustrating the originality and creativity of the featured designers/artists. The list of participating artists and designers (to be announced in February), is being selected by a jury that includes Furniture and Objects Designer Khalid Shafar, Creative Entrepreneur Saadia Zahid and Design Days Dubai Fair Director Cyril Zammit.

CAMPUS ART DUBAI

Part of Art Dubai’s extensive educational programming, Campus Art Dubai is a new education initiative run in partnership with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. Taking place from January-June 2013, Campus Art Dubai is a series of intensive courses for artists and curators living and working in the UAE. 20 artists and 20 curators have been selected following an open call announced in December.

The courses are structured around monthly sessions and led by a group of internationally renowned artists, curators, theorists and educators including Tirdad Zolghadr (writer/curator, Bard College, USA), Aaron Cezar (Director, Delfina Foundation, UK), Salwa Mikdadi (curator, UAE), Kaelen Wilson-Goldie (writer, Lebanon). In addition, Campus Art Dubai includes monthly evening seminars, open to the public – from art enthusiasts to collectors, dealers, educators and students – providing access to the international experts and engaging them in the discussions and outcome.