14/3/2012
Art Week 2012
Different venues, Dubai
The umbrella initiative that includes Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai, Sikka, showcases the broad programme of cultural events taking place across the UAE and beyond in March 2012. The Gulf will host an exceptional range of contemporary art and design events - from art and design fairs to major museum shows - cementing the region as a hub for artistic production and home to numerous cultural centres.
Visitors to and residents of the GCC will experience the region’s most
comprehensive cultural programme to date during the second edition of Art
Week, March 15-25. The Gulf will host an exceptional range of contemporary
art and design events -- from art and design fairs to major museum shows --
cementing the region as a hub for artistic production and home to numerous
cultural centres.
Art Week, the umbrella programme that includes Design Days Dubai, SIKKA and
Art Dubai, showcases the broad range of cultural events taking place across the
UAE and beyond. The initiative positions the Gulf – regionally and internationally – as
a central meeting point, promoting creativity and debate. From expansive new
museum projects in Doha to the thriving Dubai gallery scene, from one-off
happenings, projects and installations to festivals and fairs, Art Week serves to
demonstrate the dynamism and progressive spirit throughout the region’s cultural
community.
Dubai Galleries’ Night on Monday, March 19 will see late-night openings for a host
of stellar new exhibitions, complemented by performances by locally-based
musicians, at more than 40 galleries across Dubai. Five new galleries, including
Fayez Barakat, Grey Noise, La Galerie Nationale, Showcase Gallery and FN
Designs, will open their doors for the first time in Alserkal Avenue. Meanwhile,
established galleries in Al Quoz and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC),
such as Green Art Gallery, The Third Line, Lawrie Shabibi, Cuadro, Artspace and
The Empty Quarter, among others, in addition to private collections such as the
Salsali Private Museum and The Farjam Collection, will open major exhibitions of
Arab, Iranian, South Asian and international contemporary art.
Design Days Dubai, the first fair in the Middle East entirely dedicated to limited
edition and collectible design will open on Saturday March 17 in a new location at the
foot of Burj Khalifa. Bringing a fresh dimension to the region’s arts and design scene,
Design Days Dubai will showcase works of leading design galleries and the most
innovative of designers from around the world. The fair will appeal to a broad public –
from design connoisseurs, architects, design enthusiasts, and designers to students
and graduates - looking for inspiration, and for exclusive designed objects for their
homes and workspaces.
In 2012, Art Week also includes SIKKA in the Bastakiya cultural district, which will
serve as a pathway to discover the works of UAE artists this March. An initiative by
Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, SIKKA is an artist-led commissioning fair that aims to
showcase the most compelling work being made across the UAE and features
exclusive events such as live music performances, research areas, food gatherings
and educational activities, as well as an open-studios exhibition by the artists in
residence with A.i.R Dubai, the new collaborative programme run by Art Dubai, the
Delfina Foundation, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), and
Tashkeel.
The sixth edition of Art Dubai takes place March 21-24 at Madinat Jumeirah. This
edition of the fair is the most diverse to date, featuring 75 galleries from 32 countries
showing more than 500 artists, while Marker, the curated section gallery stands,
turns its focus to the Indonesian art scene. Art Dubai Projects involves over 40 artists
and a host of commissioned projects, including live radio transmissions, a
performance night, and a range of activities for families and children.
The winners of the fourth Abraaj Capital Art Prize will unveil their major new works
at the fair. 2012 also sees the expansion of the critically-acclaimed Global Art Forum,
which looks at 'The Medium of Media', taking in everything from archived Emirati TV
shows to an analysis of the past year of news reportage in the Arab world. The
Forum starts in Doha at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, March 18-19, and
continues at Art Dubai, March 21-24.
Looking to the rest of the UAE, the Sharjah Art Foundation will host its 5th annual
March Meeting, an annual gathering of artists, art professionals and institutions
concerned with the production and dissemination of art in the region and
internationally, alongside a number of new launches in the emirateʼs non-commercial
art spaces. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival (ADMAF) begins on
March 11, with performances and productions around the city.
In addition to the Global Art Forum starting at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art,
Doha’s involvement in Art Week includes major museum exhibitions by Cai Guo-
Qiang, Takashi Murakami, Louise Bourgeois and the opening of ʻThe Gift of the
Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courtsʼ.
A comprehensive Art Week Guide will be available at Design Days Dubai, SIKKA,
Art Dubai and all of Art Weekʼs participating venues including museums, festivals,
galleries, and select hotels, restaurants and universities.
Contact:
Art Dubai
Farah Atoui, Press and Marketing Manager
farah@artdubai.ae
+971 4 384 2009
artdubai.ae
Regional
The Portsmouth Group
+971 4 369 3575
Eileen Wallis: eileen.wallis@theportsmouthgroup.com
Amy Walker: amy.walker@theportsmouthgroup.com
Ibrahim Asran: Ibrahim.asran@theportsmouthgroup.com
To register for Art Dubai 2012 press accreditation please go to:
http://artdubai.ae/accreditation
Different venues
Dubai