¡Arriba!

Art Dubai invites visitors to experience a truly global view of art.

Jennifer Copley

This year Art Dubai introduces a new format, comprising four gallery sections entitled Contemporary, Modern, Residents - and Bawwaba; alongside UAE NOW, a new segment exploring local, independent artist-run initiatives.

A succession of performative and participatory events will enliven and animate the spaces within the fair itself. Kunsthalle Lissabon will curate a number of performances throughout, including processions by Marlon Griffith and dances presented by Samson Young. For this year’s Art Dubai Commissions series, Brazilian artist collective OPAVIVARÁ! will create a site-specific work entitled ‘SOLAROCA’, an interactive and intercultural space reminiscent of a beach. Programmes such as Campus Dubai and the Art Dubai Fellowship provide platforms for critical exchange and knowledge-building, while the Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program nurtures creativity in a new generation. The Global Art Forum and Art Dubai Modern Symposium will continue to deliver a series of diverse and discursive talks and events.

Art Dubai works to present a holistic platform where commercial and community spaces coalesce to showcase a truly international view of art. Here, Artistic Director Pablo del Val shares some of his personal highlights and talks through what he believes differentiates Art Dubai, an ever-evolving fair that keeps pace with the changing face of the emirate and the landscape of the modern and contemporary art worlds.

Could you explain a little about your background and what led you to take on your current position as Artistic Director of Art Dubai?

Right after my studies in Art History in Madrid and London, I started to work as director of a contemporary art gallery in Madrid. Since then I have directed institutions, curated exhibitions, built collections, directed art fairs and even opened my own art advisory office. Before moving to Dubai I was director of Zona Maco art fair in Mexico City, one of the most important cultural events in the South American continent. I feel with events you can only do so many [of a single event] and, after four editions, it felt like that time had come: I needed a new challenge and Art Dubai came knocking.

In 2015, you moved from your native Mexico to Dubai; what inspired this relocation?