A Dubai affair

With so many art fairs springing up all over the world, you’d think art was a thriving business — but, of course, fairs are not merely about buying and selling, they are also about intellectual content, socialising, and as so many participants put it, “networking”.  And in all these respects, Art Dubai in that emirate has come to occupy an important position. I saw a large number of collectors at the eleventh edition, concluded recently, but also curators (a sure sign of the importance of the fair) and museum directors. There was a great deal of off-hours schmoozing too, since the fair hours are fairly relaxed and stretch from the afternoon or evening onwards, leaving the first half of the day free for such activities. 

Held at the Mina a’Salam Hotel at Jumeirah (right on the beach), the location works fine, though the split between the contemporary galleries (the bulk of the fair which sees major action) and the modern (which is quieter, more serious) can be a downer. Special previews are held for the fair’s patron’s circle, and on the day of the official opening, a few hours are reserved for groups of women to visit. Surprisingly, in those hours, we saw clusters of women being taken around on curated walks through the sections, and there were art students who spent a good deal of time taking it all in without wanting to flee its cloistered chambers. Clearly, art is seen as serious business in the emirate.

It may be next door Abu Dhabi that is getting all the museum franchises at its Saadiyat Island — the Louvre and the Guggenheim included — but it is Dubai that seems to have all the galleries and auction houses (Sotheby’s opened its viewing galleries just ahead of the fair, while Christie’s is already present). There is little doubt about the clout that Dubai exerts, and it was only too evident during the art fair that drew the likes of the Samdanis from Dhaka, Kiran Nadar from New Delhi, Afzal and Shireen Ahmad who intend to open a museum of South Asian art in Chicago this year — and even our own William Dalrymple who accompanied his artist wife Olivia Fraser whose work was on display in its contemporary section. 

Visitors at Art Dubai 2017

Unlike other fairs, Art Dubai prides itself on its “curation”, allowing galleries to present just one or at most two artists at their booths. This requires a strict curatorial process of presentation too, and booths tend to be small rather than overwhelming to be able to accommodate the required representation from both the region as well as the world. Simultaneously, there are talks, presentations and book launches. Rashid Rana, for instance, used the platform to introduce the upcoming Lahore Biennale in 2018, and, frankly, some of his ideas seemed outside our comfort zone — but maybe that’s what Pakistan requires. 

Abraaj Group Art Prize-2017, Rana Begum’s piece

There is no denying the buying power of West Asia and art has become a way for the emiratis to show off their wealth in a manner that is sophisticated and worldly. The Qatar family, in particular, is spending a huge amount on world art. But the Dubai market, most agree, is a middling market where the quest is for familiar and known names at friendly price points. Nor is that likely to change in a hurry. Nevertheless, it remains an important market in that segment, and Art Dubai has played a significant role in nurturing its constituency. Indian art, in particular, is well regarded, and should capitalise on the thrust of the art fair to reach out to its diaspora that would be happy to see the works of the mainland artists on their walls.
 

Kishore Singh is a Delhi-based writer and art critic. These views are personal and do not reflect those of the organisation with which he is associated