Review of Art Dubai

13 Mar

Bawwaba, Digital and more from Southeast Asia
By Nadya Wang

Exterior view of Art Dubai 2023, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo by Spark Media for Art Dubai. Image courtesy of Art Dubai.

From 1 March to 5 March, the 16th edition of Art Dubai welcomed well over 30,000 visitors to its Contemporary, Modern, Bawwaba and Digital sections. Altogether, more than 130 galleries from 43 countries participated in the fair. We caught up with curators, artists and galleries from Southeast Asia who took part in the fair to learn about their experiences.

Vipash Purichanont, who curated the Bawwaba section, was pleased with how it turned out. “I went to Dubai with high expectations but with the understanding that many things could be compromised as it is an art fair, not a museum,” says Vipash. “But the organiser was resourceful, and the galleries were cooperative, and the reactions and feedback I received from audiences were great.”

Yavuz Gallery participated in the Bawwaba section at Vipash’s invitation with a solo presentation of Zico Albaiquni’s works. Caryn Quek, Gallery Director, Yavuz Gallery says, “We had a strong reception to our presentation which resulted in many new institutional and collector connections.” She adds, “Art Dubai is a great fair, which is well-organised and improving every year. What stood out for us is the strong diversity of participating international galleries together with the Emirati community. We are confident the success and profile of this year’s fair will result in further growth and attract more exhibitors and collectors from around the world.”

Maryanto, ‘When the Trees Fall’, 2023. Image courtesy of Yeo Workshop.

In the same section, Yeo Workshop presented the work of artist Maryanto, ‘When the Trees Fall’, which aims to bring public awareness to the overdevelopment of palm oil plantations in South Kalimantan and the detrimental effects this has on the forests. The artist says, “By turning the problems into stories that can be told and heard by many people, I can ensure that these stories do not stay hidden.” He elaborates, “My goal is to bring attention to serious problems that need to be addressed and discussed, in the hope that change is effected. I was pleased to be able to share a hidden story with fairgoers at Art Dubai.”

General view of Art Dubai 2023, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo by Spark Media for Art Dubai. Image courtesy of Art Dubai.

Art Dubai 2023 Collector Talks presented with Dubai Collection at the A.R.M. Holding Majlis, Madinat Jumeirah. “Collecting in a Shifting Global Cultural Map”, featuring Teo Yang and Charif Ben Romdane, moderated by Nadya Wang.

Audrey Yeo, Founder, Yeo Workshop reflected that the fair was a good size that was segmented well. “I enjoyed seeing the intersection of art from around the world with a high quality of presentation of works from Korea, India, Istanbul, etc.,” says Audrey. “I was able to learn about many great new artists. The talks programmes were engaging and inspiring, from how luxury brands engage with art, to digital futures, to what Dubai is aspiring towards in the fields of art and culture.”

Over at Silverlens Gallery in the Bawwaba section, Gregory Halili’s work was on display. “Being a part of Bawwaba and participating in Art Dubai is an honour,” says Gregory. “The exhibition was my gateway to discovering new artists and artworks. I hope that my own art and idea was a discovery and created a dialogue for others.”

With regard to his overall experience of Art Dubai, Vipash says, “I like the structure of the fair in general. I hope that they continue to do Bawwaba section, and support curators to come. Bawwaba has a potential to be not only a 'gateway' to the Global South, but a trendsetter of the regions if done correctly with generous support.” He adds, “Also, I think the digital section is very forward-looking. I hope they continue regardless of the market condition.”

Art Dubai Digital was curated by Singapore-based Clara Peh. Like Vipash, Clara was glad with how the section worked out, and successfully reflected how the digital and new media art world is expanding. “In many ways, I think the section exceeded my own expectations in that I was unsure of how the section would be received, especially with the cool-down of the NFT markets,” says Clara. “But through conversations and the feedback we received, it seemed like the wider audience understood that the section is focusing on digital art and the works in greater depth this year, and moving away from talk around NFTs, to foster longer-term support for the field.”

TheUpsideSpace at Art Dubai Digital. Image courtesy of TheUpsideSpace.

TheUpsideSpace participated in the Digital section to show artists from Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East who had exhibited with its online platform to a wider audience in the form of a physical presentation. “We made meaningful connections with stakeholders, artists and patrons coming from a spectrum of backgrounds,” says Rafi Abdullah, Curatorial Lead, TheUpsideSpace. “There was interest from traditional collectors about how to enter and navigate the digital space, as well as from artists who were curious to know how the digital realm can supplement, diversify and potentially empower their practice.” He adds, “We actually managed to dispel the doubts of a few patrons who acquired their first digital artworks with our platform.”

Brandon Tay, ‘The Error of Calm Technology’. Image courtesy of the artist and TheUpsideSpace.

Artist Refik Anadol launched a new immersive installation ‘Glacier Dreams’ in the Julius Baer Lounge at Art Dubai 2023. Image courtesy of Art Dubai.

Art Dubai Digital is a relatively new section, and this was its sophomore year. Chris Fussner, the curator of the first edition last year, and the Web3 consultant for the section this time, says, “The section has definitely grown in footprint with regards to the number of digital activations in the section and around the fair.” The fair hosted Christie's Art+Tech Summit, and Julius Baer presented a digital installation of artist Refik Anadol. Chris notes, “These are on top of a strong showing of galleries, funds, collectors, collectives, and platforms that participated in the section this year”. He projects, “As long as we're consistent and keep working together with the different stakeholders in the section, the conversation of Art Dubai's Digital section continues to grow.”

Based on feedback from first-time exhibitors, the team could provide more technical support, which Clara discussed with Chris, who is also Director, Tropical Futures Institute, which works with early-stage Web3 tech start-ups and artists to enable long-term sustainable growth. Clara explains, “Small tips such as how to work with a media player or to be mindful about the aspect ratio of the work and the display equipment, just to equip the exhibitors with more confidence and comfort around setting-up for the fair and a smoother installation.” But all in all, the section came together well. Clara observes that the reception of the section was positive, “There was also a lot of enthusiasm and encouragement for the emerging digital practices that we highlighted, which was lovely to see!”

Rafi mused that future editions of the fair could experiment with breaking down categories. “I think it would be interesting to see if the fair could potentially do away with classifying sections, or at the very least not segregating the digital section and having it housed together in the same physical location with the other two sections,” says Rafi. “It might offer exciting juxtapositions and more cross-pollinated viewing experiences.”

As curators of the fair, both Vipash and Clara took part in The Invited Curators Programme, which first ran in 2019. It invites institutional and independent curators to “a regional art encounter and perspective exchange workshop”.“The Invited Curators Programme did not only create an opportunity to mingle and network,” says Vipash. “I had the opportunity to give tours of the Bawwaba section to colleagues from around the world, which enriched my experience even more. I think I enjoyed and received a lot of benefit from being able to receive constructive criticism from other curators.” Similarly, Clara says, “I enjoyed meeting different international curators when I could, and I appreciate that the fair has built this network of curators around the event, introducing institutions around the world to artists being shown here and establishing a different dimension to a commercial art fair.” She adds, “The hosted programmes also included trips to the Sharjah Biennial, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Alserkal Avenue, and other cultural spots in and around Dubai, which I thought was great for all of us to develop a stronger understanding of the arts and cultural in the UAE and not just at the fair.”

The Invited Curators Programme is a significant strength of the fair in its formalisation of interactions among curators, and between curators and participating galleries at the fair, as well as the art community at large in the UAE. Chris concurred that the programme provided a great opportunity to interact with curators working in other spaces. “Overall it was nice to meet curators from around the world and share experiences of our own scenes and communities, as well as our interaction and perspectives on what is going on in the MENA region in particular with Dubai and Saudi Arabia,” says Chris. “These dialogues that Art Dubai fosters between cultural labourers is something that's special and builds relationships from around the world through meeting at the fair.”

A&M is proud to be an official media partner of Art Dubai 2023. Click here to read our interview with Vipash Purichanont and here for the one with Clara Peh.