Art Dubai 2011 opens

Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al- Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE, ruler of Dubai, Art Dubai is held at Madinat Jumeriah, an enchanting venue that provides the ideal location for optimal showcasing of the diverse works from the 300 artists participating.
The Middle East’s largest contemporary art event has been praised as the most diverse and forward-looking to date, and can be attributed to Art Dubai’s new leadership under Fair Director Antonia Carver. “We aim for Art Dubai to be a fair of discovery — for the international collectors, curators, artists, gallerists and museum groups that attend the fair aiming to catch up on all that’s happening in the Middle East and South Asia, and for those based in the region to engage with the most dynamic of international galleries,” said Carver. “At Art Dubai, these audiences will be able to discover the work of more than 500 artists, as presented in booths, installations, performances, dispatches, talks and screenings.”
Showcasing paintings, sculpture, photography, works on paper and video installations from a host of first-timers as well as returning galleries, the fifth edition of Art Dubai features exciting work from emerging artists and museum-quality masterworks. The fair features an ambitious range of galleries, with more than a dozen significant, curatorially focused galleries exhibiting in the Middle East for the first time; an increased number of single-artist gallery shows, allowing viewers to delve into an artist’s practice in depth; as well as the strongest presence of galleries from Turkey and South Asia to date.
A highlight of this year’s programming is Global Art Forum-5, a four-day series of discussions curated by a committee chaired by Shumon Basar, which explores how a changed world has changed audiences for contemporary art, how expectations have affected artists and their work, and how art and fashion collide.
Art Dubai is on through Saturday, March 19, 2011. Tickets to Art Dubai are available at the door for 50 dirhams each and entry for children 12 and under are free.