Bio: The fair’s debut will feature 84 galleries from 36 countries.
Frieze Abu Dhabi has announced the full lineup for its debut edition, running November 19–22 at Manarat Al Saadiyat in the Saadiyat Cultural District. The fair will bring together 84 galleries from 63 cities and 36 countries and regions, and will mark Frieze's first venture into the Middle East. The fair builds on the 17-year run of Abu Dhabi Art, which it succeeds under a partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. The fair was first announced last October.
“The inaugural edition of Frieze Abu Dhabi begins with the depth and ambition of the UAE [United Arab Emirates] and wider WANASA [West Asia, North Africa and South Asia] art scene and reaffirms our commitment to fostering meaningful dialogues on the global art stage,” said Kristell Chadé, Frieze's executive director of fairs, in a statement, using the fair's shorthand for West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia. Fair director Dyala Nusseibeh added that the fair's curated sections “will introduce fresh perspectives and avenues for critical inquiry,” calling it “a catalyst for knowledge production, art market integration and meaningful participation in global discourse for the whole region.”
The fair’s main section, Galleries, will have a strong regional presence with UAE mainstays including Carbon 12, Lawrie Shabibi, The Third Line, and Tabari Artspace, joined by Saleh Barakat Gallery and Galerie Tanit from Beirut, Athr and Hafez Gallery from Saudi Arabia, Dastan from Tehran. Indian galleries will also have a strong presence, including Experimenter, Jhaveri Contemporary, Nature Morte, and Project 88. Some 20 European galleries will present at the fair as well, among them Thaddaeus Ropac, Victoria Miro, Timothy Taylor, and Waddington Custot. Gagosian, Pace Gallery, and Vito Schnabel Gallery are among those participating from the United States.
An all-female curatorial team leads the fair's two curated sections. Frieze Masters Abu Dhabi, organized by independent curator Marika Sardar, will present objects and artifacts from antiquity through the early 20th century, centered on the theme of the Indian Ocean and its historic networks of trade and exchange, and will be joined by rare book and antiquities specialists, including David Aaron and Peter Harrington. Global Futures, curated by Tarini Malik, gathers solo presentations addressing the UAE and wider region's cultural histories, including Ala Younis with Taymour Grahne Projects, Mohammed Joha with Zawyeh Gallery, and Seta Manoukian, a fixture of Beirut's 1960s art scene, with Marfa.
Focus, the fair's section for younger galleries, will offer bursaries to its participants and features solo presentations including Tahir Karmali with Management, Marigold Santos with Patel Brown, and Chonon Bensho with W-Galería. Additional solo presentations across the fair spotlight regional figures including Ibrahim El-Salahi, Farideh Lashai, and Samir Rafi alongside internationally recognized artists Emily Kam Kngwarray, Francesco Clemente, and Sheila Hicks.
Beyond the booths, Frieze Abu Dhabi's program includes the debut Frieze Abu Dhabi Artist Award, an edition of Frieze Sculpture, and In Dialogue, a new annual exhibition pairing an established and emerging UAE artist.
Deutsche Bank, the fair's global lead partner, will present a lounge installation by UAE artist Omar Al Gurg. The fair's selection committee includes Yasmin Atassi of Green Art Gallery, Asmaa Al-Shabibi of Lawrie Shabibi, and Sandhini Poddar, adjunct curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Frieze Abu Dhabi arrives after fellow international fair conglomerate Art Basel launched its inaugural fair in the region this year in Doha, Qatar.
