Art Dubai is set to hold its 16th edition, the largest ever, from March 3 to 5 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai featuring over 130 presentations from more than 40 countries and six continents.

The 2023’s gallery programme will include four sections: Contemporary, Modern, Bawwaba (featuring exclusively new work) and Art Dubai Digital, as well as more than 30 first-time participants.

Art Dubai’s Executive Director Benedetta Ghione commented: “Art Dubai has always tried to reframe what an art fair can be, and this year’s expanded programme fully reflects our role as a meeting point for the region’s creative industries, both commercial and not-for-profit. As an innovative public-private partnership, we have been an incubator of talent, a catalyst for the creative economy here in Dubai, a convener of great minds, and an entry point to this vibrant ecosystem for the wider cultural sector.”

Further highlights of the 2023 programme include artwork premières by some of the art world’s most exciting names, and a series of 10 newly commissioned performance works by artists from across South Asia. Produced in partnership with Art Dubai’s galleries and several leading South Asian cultural organisations, these new site-specific works will comprise daily performances and food-based experiences, exploring themes of community, celebration, hope, and connection.

The 2023 programme will feature more than 50 sessions in an ambitious daily conference, talks and education programme. Highlights include the flagship Global Art Forum, the first Dubai edition of Christie’s Art+Tech summit, a series of Modern and Collector talks developed in partnership with Dubai Collection, and a new event in partnership with the Art Business Conference, focusing on sustainability.

Art Dubai’s Artistic Director Pablo del Val commented: “As the global art fair landscape shifts, Art Dubai continues to play an important role profiling and supporting the cultural ecosystems of the Global South and the programme this year fully reflects this region’s growing importance, energy and vibrancy.

“One of our strongest ever gallery line-ups, complemented by an expanded commissioning and thought-leadership programme, highlights the breadth of discourse that is happening here, and offers a glimpse into the past, present and future of this important region.”

Taking place in a purpose-built space, the 2023 Commissions programme will comprise daily performances and food-based experiences that will explore themes of community, celebration, hope, and connection.

Art Dubai 2023 marks the 10th edition of Campus Art Dubai (CAD), Art Dubai’s flagship initiative to develop the region’s future cultural leaders and a core component of the fair’s extensive year-round education programme. The 2023 edition will feature two concurrent strands. The first strand, CAD Public Art, aims to build sector knowledge and capacity in the rapidly developing field of public art commissioning.

The second, CAD 10.0 Professional Development, will expand to include placements at both Art Dubai and other leading UAE cultural institutions, including Alserkal Avenue and Art Jameel in Dubai, and Abu Dhabi’s independent platform for emerging artists 421.

Presented in partnership with Dubai Collection, Art Dubai’s 2023 edition will also feature a series of Collector and Modern Talks. The Collector Talks will focus on the collectors and patrons who are driving the development of art scenes across the Global South and supporting the redistribution of cultural centres across the world.

This year, Christie's will host its first regional Art+Tech summit in partnership with Art Dubai. Established in 2018, the sixth iteration of the summit - in conjunction with Christie’s annual summit in New York.

In another first, Art Dubai is collaborating with the renowned Art Business Conference on a special session at the fair, focused on exploring topics of sustainability in the art world. – TradeArabia News Service