Art Dubai: Strong Indian presence, lauded by international art community

(from left) An artwork on display at Art Dubai; and Art Dubai was held from March 3-6, 2023, at the Madinat Jumeirah. (Photos by Neeta Lal)

Art Dubai was back for its 2023 edition in Dubai from March 3 to 6, with its most extensive and ambitious iteration yet since its debut in 2007. The three-day fair saw participation from over 40 countries and more than 130 contemporary, modern, and digital gallery presentations across four sections — Contemporary, Modern, Bawwaba (meaning 'gateway' in Arabic featuring new works) and Art Dubai Digital — curated by Singapore-based educator Clara Che Wei Peh.

An estimated 40,000 UAE-based, regional and international collectors, artists, curators and art lovers gathered under Dubai’s sunny skies at the Madinat Jumeirah, a scene unimaginable pre-pandemic when the emirate was roiled by a recession triggered by a precipitous plummet in global crude oil prices and a slump in the real-estate market.

However, a resurgence in the property market, and an influx from international artists keen to leverage the opportunities Dubai offers, has turned the scene around. “...Dubai has become increasingly culturally oriented with people from diverse cultures and regions creating a vibrant cultural ecosystem,” said Stephan Stoyanov, owner of Art Agency Gallery from Bulgaria who bought three major art works for his collection from the fair.

Digital art had a robust presence at the fair this year. The fair featured over 20 new media presentations, including AR/VR experiences, immersive installations as well as interactive digital objects.

The physical section of Art Dubai provided an annual 360-degree snapshot of the digital art landscape, melding art with technology, and exploring how artists are leveraging new, immersive technologies to blur boundaries of the traditional art world.

This year’s edition of Art Dubai Modern was curated by Paris-based critic and curator Mouna Mekouar and Italian art historian Lorenzo Giusti. An Expanded education, conference and events program across five days, included the 16th edition of flagship summit the Global Art Forum, the inaugural West Asia editions of Christie’s Art+Tech conference and the Art Business Conference.

The offerings included commissioned artists’ and curators’ projects, residencies and education initiatives. Artists and galleries from across the Global South — referring broadly to the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, geographies that are traditionally underrepresented in the wider art ecosystem, were a key focus this year.

Blueprint 12 gallery directors at the Dubai Art Fair (from left) Riddhi Bhalla, artist Youdhisthir Maharjan, Mandiraa Lambba.

“Art Dubai has always tried to reframe what an art fair can be, and this year’s expanded program 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,” said Benedetta Ghione, executive director, Art Dubai.

The Indian presence at the fair was strong with desi galleries making their mark. New Delhi-based Anahita Taneja, director of Shrine Empire Gallery, a first-time participant at Art Dubai, said she “had a great experience” and “terrific response” for all the three artists she showed at the fair: Anoli Perera, Baaraan Ijlal and Tayeba Begum Lipi. “We’ve sold a work to an institution as well as collectors from Dubai. There was a great energy at the fair, walkthroughs with groups, a lot of interest from press and curators. Dubai has a growing international audience and with institutions here building dialogue about South Asian art, it’s definitely a fair we hope to come back to.”

Riddhi Bhalla, director of Delhi-based Blueprint 12 Gallery shared she had a “very good show last year and 2023 has given us yet another occasion to rejoice”. “The audience is diverse, with participation from collectors, curators, and enthusiasts from all over the world right from the VIP previews until the last hours of the fair,” she mentioned.

Bhalla added that Dubai’s emergence as an international art hub is fostering important dialogues between the international creative community. “This also augurs well for Indian artists because in many ways, the city is a global melting pot for art exchanges. Indian art especially is experiencing a great reception here with South Asian Art in general becoming a talking point for leading international curators, museums and foundations,” she opined.

Ashish Anand, CEO and MD at DAG (formerly Delhi Art Gallery) said it was the gallery’s fifth consecutive outing at Art Dubai “due to its unique location at the crossroads of West Asia with its diasporic population as well as a major financial centre that attracts a global expatriate population. The curatorial aspect of the fair over the past editions is also attractive. However, there are very few modern galleries at Art Dubai and one hopes that will increase in future editions.”

The gallerist added that Indian or South Asian population is one of the mainstays of the region hence participating in the most prominent art fair in the region therefore makes eminent sense. “There is also an increase in the number of Indians who have shifted businesses to and are living in Dubai. We are glad to provide them access to this through the art fair for now, and thereby bring them in contact with our galleries and relationship managers in Mumbai, New Delhi — and even New York — for Dubai is truly an international city and its residents (and visitors) come from every corner of the world.”

Kajoli Khanna, director of the London-based gallery Grovenor House, said she has always found Art Dubai to be “an exciting fair” and it her 16th year coming back. “We’ve supported the fair since its first year and are pleased it has evolved into a global one. We always meet old clients as well as new clients from various parts of the world which is very encouraging and keeps us coming back”.

The gallerist added that quite a few curators from important museums like the Guggenheim have been coming to Art Dubai and supporting Indian art. “Galleries form all the world are represented along with international artists which truly makes it an international art fair. We always include Indian artists to take to Dubai and this time we showed a work by SH Raza, FN Souza and MF Husain, along with contemporary Pakistani artists,” she informed.

According to Malini Gulrajani, founder and director, 1X1 Art Gallery, Dubai, who migrated to the Emirati city from Mumbai in the late 1980s, Dubai’s art scene has grown exponentially in the last 16 years since Art Dubai was founded. “There is now a thriving gallery scene and a burgeoning number of collectors from all over the world who are now based in Dubai,” she said.

Along with the Art Dubai fair, there were also other related art events in the UAE to sync with the event including the Sharjah Biennale, Indian artists showing at the Jameel Arts Centre and the previews of the galleries at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s twin thriving artistic hubs.