Abu Dhabi Art Announces Line-up of Galleries Participating in 2017

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 17 July 2017: Organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Art 2017 will return this November with 48 established and emerging galleries from 18 different countries, offering works by a diverse range of globally celebrated and up and coming artists.

Running from November 8 – 11, the fair will feature galleries from Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East and will see the introduction of a new curated section by Dr. Omar Kholeif entitled Focus: Beyond Territory.

Established and emerging galleries will offer visitors a selection of exceptional artworks from the modern era, as well as contemporary works by leading artists. Galleries returning to Abu Dhabi Art this year include Agial Art Gallery (Beirut), Cuadro Fine Art Gallery (Dubai), kamel mennour (Paris, London) Galerie George-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois (Paris), Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac (Paris, London, Salzberg), GALLERIA CONTINUA (San Gimignano, Les Moulins, Beijing, Havana), Leila Heller Gallery (Dubai, New York), and Lisson Gallery (London, New York).

Abu Dhabi Art has introduced a new category for 2017 entitled Solo Projects, encouraging participating galleries to focus on a curated presentation of a single artist. New participants in this category include Sabrina Amrani Gallery with a solo presentation of recent works by Chant Avedissian whilst returning exhibitor Meem Gallery will present a single monumental work by Dia Azzawi.

For the ninth edition, Abu Dhabi Art will explore the concepts of formal, social and economic landscapes through Focus: Beyond Territory. Curated by Dr. Omar Kholeif, the Manilow Senior Curator and Director of Global Initiatives at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Focus: Beyond Territory will introduce a group of inter-generational artists and major projects from both emerging and leading galleries to a Middle Eastern audience for the first time. The seven participating galleries include GALERIST (Istanbul), Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (Dubai), In Situ – Fabienne Leclerc (Paris), Jhaveri Contemporary (Mumbai), Marian Goodman Gallery (New York, Paris, London), Sprüth Mager (London, Berlin, Los Angeles) and The Third Line Gallery (Dubai), whilst returning exhibitor Sean Kelly Gallery (New York) will participate in both this section and in Modern & Contemporary. The artists Iftikhar Dadi and Nalini Malani (Jhaveri Contemporary); Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige (In Situ – Fabienne Leclerc), Giuseppe Penone (Marian Goodman Gallery), Otto Piene (Sprüth Magers), Hassan Sharif (Isabelle van den Eynde), Shahzia Sikander (Sean Kelly Gallery) and Hayv Kahraman (The Third Line) will be presented as Solo Projects within this curated section.

Commenting on the line-up, Dyala Nusseibeh, Director, Abu Dhabi Art said: “This year’s edition aims to uphold and drive Abu Dhabi Art’s reputation as a regional cultural powerhouse presenting world-class galleries, internationally renowned artists and emerging talent to the public. We are delighted to welcome both new galleries to the fair and returning exhibitors. As Abu Dhabi Art grows and expands, it will continue to provide a platform from which cultural and artistic dialogue can be initiated, paving the way for the evolving art scene in the Emirate and the UAE.”

In addition to the gallery programme, Abu Dhabi Art 2017 will present a series of stimulating cultural talks on local and GCC-wide art histories and narratives, conceived by Munira Al Sayegh. The fair will offer visitors and collectors the opportunity to engage with contemporary performance art through the fifth edition of Durub Al-Tawaya, Abu Dhabi Art’s performing arts programme curated by Tarek Abou El- Fetouh. Fabrice Bousteau will once again present the Street Art programme whilst new collaborator this year, curator Maya Allison, will present an exhibition that draws curatorial connections between established UAE artists and their international peers in an exhibition. Curators and artists Mohammed Kazem and Cristiana de Marchi will be presenting a section entitled Beyond: Emerging Artists and Abu Dhabi Art has commissioned three more artists to create site-specific works throughout Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

View the full list of participating galleries for Abu Dhabi Art 2017 at www.abudhabiart.ae/en/galleries. For further details follow Abu Dhabi Art on social media: Facebook and Twitter or visit www.abudhabiart.ae/en.

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About TCA Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The Authority manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. TCA Abu Dhabi supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key role is to build synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base. tcaabudhabi.ae/en

About Abu Dhabi Art

Abu Dhabi Art expands beyond the notion of a traditional art fair, in placing strong emphasis on a diverse public engagement programme, including art installations and exhibitions, talks and events that take place in different locations throughout the year. The culmination of this year-long programme is the Abu Dhabi Art event in November, which provides an important sales platform for participating galleries whilst also offering these galleries an opportunity to showcase ambitious installations and site specific works by their artists to an audience of over 20,000 visitors.

Media Contact:

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