Exhibitor numbers up 40% for this year's Abu Dhabi Art fair

More than 140 galleries from 37 countries will take part in November's event at Manarat Al Saadiyat

Abu Dhabi Art 2025 will run from November 19 to 23. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art

The number of exhibitors taking part in Abu Dhabi Art fair in November has surged by 40 per cent compared to last year, as the event goes from strength to strength.

More than 140 galleries from 37 countries will be represented, a record for the annual fair that was first held in 2009. Cultural space Manarat Al Saadiyat will once again host the event, which runs from November 19 to 23.

The increase in the number of galleries “reflects Abu Dhabi’s rising stature in both institutional and private collecting circles”, said the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, which is organising the event.

“Over the years, the fair has evolved into the region’s most influential platform for art and ideas, a cultural moment where the UAE’s pioneering spirit engages with the global art community,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chairman of DCT – Abu Dhabi.

“The upcoming edition of Abu Dhabi Art fair promises to be the most ambitious yet, featuring a record number of galleries from around the world.”

Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou has created the visual theme and marketing material for this year's event. Antonie Robertson / The National

This year, the event will spotlight the art scenes in Nigeria, Turkey and the Gulf. Galleries from several other countries, including Algeria, Senegal, Netherlands, Peru and Tanzania, will make their debuts.

Galleries presenting leading Gulf artists include Gallery Isabelle (Hassan Sharif, Mohammed Kazem and Alia Zaal); Wusum Gallery (Tarek Darwish); Hunna Art (Alymamah Rashed, Joud Fahmy and Zayn Qahtani); Sapar Contemporary (Rashid Al Khalifa); Iris Projects (Nasser Al Salem, Juma Al Haj and Shamsa Al Omaira); Hafez Gallery (Sami Al Marzoogi, Sara Alabdali and Raeda Ashour) and Albareh Art Gallery (Nasser Al Yousif).

“Our curatorial focus continues to centre on under-represented art histories and foster equity in global art narratives through the platform of the fair,” said Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art.

Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou, a notable figure in the country’s contemporary art scene, was tasked with creating Abu Dhabi Art Fair's “visual identity”.

Her 2023 work, Beyond All Measures, will be among the highlights at the fair. Using oxidised brass, it depicts the horizon while exploring its symbolism as a threshold and point of transformation.

“Shaikha has become one of the most successful artists of her generation in the UAE,” Nusseibeh said in April. “The series we have chosen to work with for the visual campaign and visual feel of the fair offers an exploration of materiality and a repurposing of discarded matter from fabrication sites in the UAE.”

Artworks by Jasem Alsane are one of the many on display at Abu Dhabi Art 2024. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi Art features more than 100 regional and international galleries from 31 countries

Matchikmen by German artist Wolfgang Stiller

Detail of Secret Beauty by Ran Hwang which is made from crystals, beads and pins on Plexiglass

Precarious Place by the Indian multidisciplinary artist Simrin Mehra Agarwal

Palestinian artist Michael Halak's hyper-realist work, which showcases the fruit of his homeland

The art festival features both emerging and established artists from the region and abroad

Mac Gate 2019 by Egyptian painter and sculptor Moataz Nasr