Over 90 Renowned Galleries Participating in Art Dubai 2016-Here are five of our favorites.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Art Dubai, the region’s leading art fair, presenting a diverse line-up of over 90 galleries from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Each year in March, Art Dubai presents a hand picked and diverse line-up of over 90 galleries from the UAE and around the world, featuring distinct categories or “programs”, like Contemporary; Modern, which is devoted to masters from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and Marker, a curated section of art spaces that focuses each year on a particular theme or geography.

Art Dubai is reported to contribute nearly $35 million USD to Dubai local’s economy and they are growing each year.

Here’s Elan’s list of five of the outstanding galleries that participate in Art Dubai.

Purple Landscape, 2013, Acrylic on linen canvas, 152 x 183 cm

Ayyam Gallery

Ayyam Gallery was founded in 2006, and has locations both in Beirut and Dubai. This year the gallery is presenting a dual showing of works by the Palestinian New York-based Samia Halaby and the late Syrian Moustafa Fathi in what will be a fragment of representation of abstraction in the Arab world.

The Ayyam Gallery created quite a splash 2 years ago exhibiting the work of Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem. Within minutes of the doors opening, his 12-piece collection was scooped up by one collector for a price tag well over a million US Dollars.

Bedouin Tent, 1950, Oil on Wood, 58x74 cm — Bedouin Tent, 1950, Oil on Wood, 58 x 74 cm

Meem Gallery

Meem Gallery’s expertise lies in modern and contemporary Arab and Iranian art, with a particular focus on the work of the Middle East’s modern masters. The gallery’s strength lies in its unparalleled access to both private and public collections of the region’s leading artists. Since its 2007 launch by Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, Mishal Hamed Kanoo and Charles Pocock in Dubai’s Al Quoz, Meem has been the site of numerous carefully curated exhibitions, many of which introduced the work of major regional artists to Gulf audiences.

This year at Art Dubai, Meem Gallery is showcasing the work of Zhivago Duncan. He diversifies his materials by utilizing both traditional and non-traditional media, resulting in an oeuvre that includes large-scale, site-specific installation, print making and photography, performance art, sculpture and painting. In this new body of work, Duncan uses gold and linen, combining these materials with his technique of silkscreen to create a truly unique series of works.

You Never Left # III, 2010, Hand Colored Gelatin Silver Print

The Third Line Gallery

The Third Line is a Dubai based art gallery that represents contemporary Middle Eastern artists locally, regionally and internationally. A pioneering platform for established talent and emerging voices from the region and its diaspora, The Third Line has built a dynamic program that explores the diversity of practices in the region.

This year for the 10th edition of Art Dubai, The Third Line is exhibiting solo presentations by Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige and Youssef Nabil.

Daybreak, 2013, Gouache and shell gold on prepared paper, 40 x 40 cm — Daybreak, 2013,
Gouache and shell gold on prepared paper, 40 x 40 cm

Athr Gallery

Since 2009, Jeddah based gallery Athr has been providing a creative environment for artists of Saudi Arabia and international contemporary art. It is supported by extensive public programs aimed at encouraging engagement with local audiences. The gallery is actively involved in education projects through public lectures and forums.

One of the artists the Athr gallery will be showcasing at Art Dubai 2016, is Dana Awartani, a half-Saudi and half-Palestinian. Dedicated to the revival of historical crafts from the Islamic world, Dana works with a wide range of materials including ceramics, natural pigments, and woodwork inspired by centuries of historical Islamic geometry and pattern.

How often have I remembered the short afternoon hours, 2001, Mixed media on paper, 25x24 cm — How often have I remembered the short afternoon hours, 2001, Mixed media on paper, 25×24 cm

Hafez Gallery

Launched in 2014, Hafez Gallery strives to engage the art community to visually explore Saudi and Middle Eastern modern and contemporary art. Hafez Gallery serves as a space to nurture the discovery of a Saudi visual identity, and participate in the international art dialogue.

This year the gallery is showcasing several artists at Art Dubai, however we’re happy to see the pioneer artist, Mounirah Mosly on their roster. She is a Saudi Modernist, who over the last 25 years has actively pursued her artistic endeavors creating a unique collection and an outstanding number of social contributions, including founding the Art Festival in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia in 2007.

There any many other excellent galleries participating in Art Dubai this year-please visit the website for more information: www.artdubai.ae