A total of 75 galleries from 32 countries showing paintings, sculptures, installations and video by more than 500 artists will be featured at the sixth edition of Art Dubai, the region’s premier art show set to open tomorrow (March 21).

The show will run March 24 at Madinat Jumeirah under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Art Dubai 2012 features non-commercial projects and programmes highlighting emerging and established talent from the Middle East, South Asia and beyond, including several specially commissioned projects.

“Art Dubai is a testament to the increased maturity, depth and breadth of the Middle East’s contemporary art landscape, with participants and guests from the four corners of the globe coming to join in the discussion around making, acquiring, understanding and enjoying contemporary art,” said Antonia Carver, fair director, Art Dubai.

“The Gulf has become the place to be each March; Art Dubai is now one of the art world’s most global of meeting points.”

“Providing a platform for new talent, celebrating established artists, debating the latest developments in the industry, and integrating art into the fabric of the region are among Art Dubai’s key cornerstones,” she added.

The expanded Global Art Forum, now running over six days, moves from Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art (Qatar Museum Authority), Doha to Dubai and sees the Forum’s recognised agenda of dialogue and debate around artistic practices underpinned by a new roster of commissioned projects.

Art Dubai 2012 will offer a host of events and activities for the wider community, engaging families, students, and art lovers as well as established artists, collectors and museum groups through innovative and diverse public programming.

Art Dubai will open to the public from 4pm on Thursday, March 22, with a lively programme of children’s workshops, the DXB Store, performances, book launches, and films and artists’ talks in new venue The Hatch.

“This is the time of the year that the art world descends on the UAE, from Dubai Culture’s SIKKA Art Fair in the heart of Dubai’s oldest cultural district to the launch of the region’s first design fair, Design Days Dubai, at the foot of Burj Khalifa, as well as the new exhibitions in more than 40 galleries across town,” said Carver.

“We’re delighted to welcome visitors from near and far to experience a memorable calendar of events over Art Week, all so illustrative of the thriving local and regional arts scene,” she added. – TradeArabia News Service