ART Dubai 2009 was the rendezvous of all art lovers from the United Arab Emirates as well as from other countries in the Middle East North African Region (MENA), held last weekend March 18-21.
An exclusive selection of more than 65 of the world’s leading contemporary galleries from more than 30 countries — including the first gallery from Saudi Arabia — displayed their works at the third installment of the Art Dubai 2009 contemporary art fair.
The exhibition featured some 2,000 artworks with an increase of 50 percent in the representation of Middle Eastern galleries, signaling the current strength of the arts and cultural industry in the region.
This year, the Jeddah-based arts organization, Athr Gallery, made its maiden entry to Art Dubai.
Presenting its creative efforts, the Saudi gallery was decorated with remarkable works by eight Kingdom-based artists: Shadia Alem, Lulwah Al-Homoud, Baseim Al-Shargi, Noha Al-Sharif, Abdullah Hammas, Ahmed Mater, Bkur Sheikhoon and Ayman Yusri.
“Athr Gallery’s participation in Art Dubai enabled a wider cross-section of regional and international attendees to gain perspective on the Kingdom’s emerging arts landscape,” said Hamza Serafi, who with Mohammed Hafiz founded Athr Gallery. “We have provided a platform dedicated for the Saudi and Arab artists to start their artistic journey exhibiting art work from many different fields in contemporary art.”
John Martin, co-founder of Art Dubai, said that the quality and strength of the applications from galleries from Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, is proof of the continued importance of the contemporary art market in the Gulf region.
“We have witnessed a significant growth in this sector in the Middle East, which has happened simultaneously with other exciting cultural projects in the region,” said Martin. “The Middle East is an extremely exciting place to be at the moment, in terms of growth in the arts and culture sector.”
Art Dubai has fostered the Middle East’s reputation as a meeting place for the international art world. In the last two years, the art fair has witnessed robust growth in the number of art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world.
The expo features the Abraaj Capital Art Prize and the critically acclaimed Global Art Forum as well as a comprehensive program of projects, films, performance, events and tours.
The show offered $600,000 worth of prizes for three outstanding works of art. The three sets of winners of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize each shared $200,000: Cristian Perella and Kutlug Attaman from Turkey; Carol Solomon and Zoulikha Bouabdellah from Algeria; and Leyla Fakhr and Nargol Ansarina from Iran.
In her prize-winning works, Ansarina transformed the traditional Persian carpet into scenarios and events that coexist within a single framework.
Attaman, well-known for his video installations, has recorded a performance piece focusing on the problematic relationship between the East and the West, globalization and persistence of local cultures.
Bouabdellah’s structure, “Walk on the Sky, Pisces”, gives an illusion of walking on the sky. The structure mounted into an aluminum ceiling, the celestial co-ordinates are reflected as in a mirror on the polished stainless steel floor, creating for the viewer, who is invited to walk on the floor, the illusion of walking on the sky.
The 4-day show was sponsored for the third consecutive year by the Dubai International Finance Company (DIFC) in cooperation with Al-Abraaj Capital under the patronage of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE.
The international participants included the most important galleries from the Middle Eastern region, such as Agial Art Gallery, Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Sfeir-Semler (Beirut), Atassi Gallery (Damascus), Artspace, Ayyam Gallery, B21, The Third Line, Elementa (Dubai), Athr Gallery (Jeddah) and Silk Road Gallery (Tehran).
“Art Dubai is an excellent opportunity not only for international art to be exhibited in Dubai, but also for Middle Eastern artists to be seen throughout the region and on the world stage,” said Claudia Cellini, co-director of The Third Line. “Three years running now and Art Dubai is recognized as an art fair with international credibility and The Third Line is excited to be a part of this fair again.”