Who Are the Standout Galleries at Art Dubai 2024?
Leila Heller, Sabrina Amrani, and NIKA Project Space orchestrated some of the most compelling booths at this year's fair.
Art Dubai (28 February–3 March, 2024). Installation view. Courtesy Spark Media.
Art Dubai's 17th edition is now underway at Madinat Jumeirah. Over 100 galleries are taking part in the event, which opened on 28 February and continues through 3 March.
Set within walking distance of the Burj Al Arab, the fair unfurled its offerings across four distinct categories: contemporary, bawwaba, modern, and digital. The contemporary section boasted the largest presence, with a plethora of galleries occupying booths within halls adorned with cascading chandeliers.
Notably, Dubai and New York-based gallery Leila Heller was the sole exhibitor across the contemporary, modern, and digital categories.
Presenting works by Arash Nazari, Marwan Sahmarani, Parinaz Eleish, and others, Leila Heller Gallery's contemporary display was an appealing booth for collectors with works ranging from U.S. $6,600 to $85,000. Their modern booth was a solo presentation of work by Marcos Grigorian priced between $35,000 to $325,000 with an emphasis on facilitating institutional acquisitions.
This year's fair saw significant attendance by Indian galleries, particularly in the Bawwaba section. However, Dubai's NIKA Project Space stood out within the section, presenting captivating works by Mirna Bamieh.
Multiple fairgoers deemed Experimenter's booth one of the most thoughtfully curated. Divided in three sections, their display, titled Making Visible, included works by Ayesha Sultana, Praneet Soi, Radhika Khimji, and more.
Reflecting on the curatorial process of the booth, co-founder Priyanka Raja said, 'Architecture is a big part of exhibition making. We thought about how we can make a diagonal, horizontal, and vertical route of entry to the booth.'
Another notable gallery, Chemould Prescott Road displayed works by three female artists, including Dana Awartani, who only recently joined the gallery.
Nearby, prominent Madrid-based gallery Sabrina Amrani displayed a compelling booth in two sections: a solo presentation by Manal AlDowayan, who is set to represent Saudi Arabia at the 60th International Venice Biennale 2024; and work by Chant Avedissian, Jorge Tacla, Timo Nasseri, and others. Pieces in the booth ranged from $3,500 to $54,000.
Almine Rech and Vadehra Art Gallery returned to the fair after several years, each with the aim of broadening their collector base in the region.
'It is the gallery's first participation in the fair since 2013,' said Thibault Geffrin, Director at Almine Rech. 'It is still early days to draw a conclusion on the scope of the offer in the Dubai art market. We are confident, however, that this market will grow in the next few years, and we are aiming for our brand footprint to grow stronger in tandem.'
The gallery presented works by Joël Andrianomearisoa, Johan Creten, Tsherin Sherpa, and others, with prices ranging from $27,000 to $220,000.
What constitutes the 'Global South' was debated in Artistic Director Pablo del Val's curated sections of the fair, which considered the 'micro-societies' within the city.
'Dubai is a society made by smaller societies,' he said. 'For me, it's fascinating to see how those societies come together to create a society built on mutual respect.'
Across Fort Island, collectors also explored Art Dubai Digital, in its third edition this year. Unit London notably presented their first solo presentation of works by Krista Kim, titled Mirror of the Mind, previously showcased on the exterior of the Sphere in Las Vegas. San Francisco-based digital platform MakersPlace displayed works by Sarah Meyohas. —[O]
