Thanks to its reservoirs of black gold, Dubai has it all- tall buildings, lush green lawns, flowering landscape, air conditioned comforts, opulent life style, buzzing businesses, American malls, European country houses, Hong Kong like traffic jams, metro and much else under construction that dot the make-belief, man-made and money-backed city skyline populated by an enormous Asian work force together with a multi coloured multi national migrant population of technical experts, business leaders and managers with a sprinkling of the local lords and public! One is in an Arabian city is brought home only occasionally as one ventures out in search of some local feel or flavour or a glimpse of the desert or when one comes across a few of the traditionally dressed sheikhs or their manicured and pedicured gold and diamond wearing consorts dressed in branded shoes and handbags discretely displayed under or over their beautifully tailored and embroidered Burkas/hijabs !
The Genesis of Art Dubai
So where does Dubai Art come from or fit in? The country that has much else associated with luxury already in its ambit, is naturally delighted to find its way into the elite cultural club of global art hubs such as Basel, New York, Miami, London, Paris and Tokyo and add another cherry to its already sumptuous cake. So the proposal made by the London based trio- gallerist John Martin, financial wiz Ben Floyd and art expert Savita Apte, to the Dubai International Finance Corporation DIFC some two years ago to set up a high profile international art fair in the country, was received with much enthusiasm and well oiled and crucial backing of the royal family with the ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum as its chief patron. The fair master minded by the team sitting in London through their Dubai based office brought to life the first ever Gulf Art Fair, that was held last year in March at the luxurious Madinat Arena at Jumeirah hotel which continued to be the venue for the recent and second in the series to appear in a more elaborate, enlarged, trendy and richer incarnation as Art Dubai from March 19 - 22, 2008 .
In quantitative terms, while in the first year the fair is said to have received applications from over 100 galleries of which 40 were finally able to exhibit in pavilions in variations of 65 square feet each, this year the number of galleries that had applied was about 400 of which 68 from 30 different countries were selected and invited to exhibit, some of which paid for and took up lager areas to display their wares. The total number of visitors most of whom seemed Europeans, some Asians and a sprinkling of Emiratees has also gone up from 9,000 in all during the run of Gulf Art Fair last year, to 12,000 as recorded at the end of the first day of Art Dubai. The business done has also tripled from an estimated 30 million dollars for last year to an expectation of 100 million dollars worth of art works and deals during the recent run.
The five star ambience at Art Dubai at an estimated cost of 10 million dollars was certainly lavish but professional. The exhibits, spaces and displays looked neat, planned and well laid out in accordance with other international fairs and standards for a price of 600 dollars per sq ft. A well equipped media centre helped ensure that the event could be promptly reported and covered worldwide whilst a daily update on the fair was also arranged. The fair received generous in kind sponsorship and financial backing of several corporations and business houses with ABRAAJ Capital leading the pack.
The Fair & Frills
Art Dubai spread over a large area at Medinat Jumeirah presented a festive and busy look, with art works on display in specially constructed sections for each of the participating galleries in two adjacent halls. In addition there were other areas around the expansive hotel where specific segments of the fair were held while some of the associated events were housed at other venues around the city. Attended by hundreds of gallerists, artists, collectors, curators, experts, business/cultural/socio/political leaders and media, Art Dubai received many of the good, the great and the mighty associated with art from around the world as well as thousands of visitors.
The organizers had not only invited well known galleries, curators and collectors from around the world to attend the fair but the directors also took trouble to wine and dine important collectors and art investors who were given personalized attention, selective briefings and guided walks through the art works on display. The Global Art Forum planned as the fore runner to the fair, additionally brought 54 international experts and an equal number of discussants to the event, while Credit Suisse under their Art & Entrepreneurship programme brought a seminal exhibition of specially commissioned art works by 19 artists from 16 countries for its inaugural launch to Art Dubai platform as a part of its 7 country world tour. Charity was not forgotten as was art education, with both getting a mention in the fair's agenda, while a special guided tour for the ladies club was also included in the first day's programme in an attempt to make it more inclusive.
There were additional interesting elements. Art Projects focused on contemporary Pakistan art in a show curated by Salima Hashmi and entitled ‘ Desperately Seeking Paradise'. The exhibition featured specially commissioned works by well known Pakistani artists including Durriya Kazi's violently mutilated figure in clay, Farida Batool's evocative lenticular print of a young girl skipping against a background of Lahore engulfed in violence, Imran Qureshi's delicate gouache on wasli paper that attempts to present traditional miniature technique in a contemporary context, Rashid Rana's multi media work showcasing world views in an impressive diversity and Huma Mulji's multi media installation ‘Arabian Delight' about migrants' and their dreams featuring a camel forced into a suitcase, that triggered a controversy and it seems had to be withdrawn from the show. In addition, Pakistani art was also represented by London-based Green Cardamom art gallery that was seen to do some good business.
The DIFC premises hosted a beautifully displayed exhibition ‘Word into Art' from the British Museum collection of works by artists of the modern Middle East with support from Dubai Holding that illustrated wide spread interest in Islamic art and calligraphy whilst some more calligraphic and contemporary art of the region was also on show in two parallel exhibitions held at the spacious premises of Standard Chartered Bank and in other parts of the complex. To keep up with the global trends Art Park was set up in an underground area at Madinat Arena which normally serves as a car park. It included a few site specific installations and experimental video works that added another dimension to Art Dubai.
A series of presentations and discussions on issues of wider interest were planned as wrap around events. Though some of them were of variable quality, others were attended by prominent international art experts. Hans Ulrich Obrsit Director curator of London-based Serpentine Gallery who was billed for an interview with Anish Kapoor instead spoke about his ongoing project of video-documentation and showed his interviews with the artist . The Sotheby Institute's special 3-day programme aimed at familiarizing enrolled participants with the fair and art markets came for a price of 1,000 British Pounds. In a tie-up with the fair, London based ‘The Art Newspaper' that was represented by its editor and his impressive team of art journalists, brought out a daily update and reports on the fair. The Art Bus that ferried visitors around hot spots of Dubai Art that were spread over different venues across the city was a good facilitator as was the Art Map , with lists of various galleries where art exhibitions and events were held in the city. A corner for art books with about 6 booths for art magazines from different parts of the world was also integral to Art Dubai at the main venue.
Art UAE & Middle East
A flavour of contemporary local art was offered to the visitors through The Flying House show that included works by brothers Hassan and Hussein Sharif amongst others. At the Creek Fair as an off shoot of Art Dubai, there was a small spread of works by local artists and art students while some of the private galleries also joined in to show local artists work along side their prized possessions of international art from America, Europe and Pakistan.
In the Medinat Arena along side other international displays, galleries from Lebanon , Bahrain , Syria , Cairo and neighborhood had their artists work on show while Silk Road represented art from Iran . UAE had a stronger presence through Artspace, Third Line and B21 galleries while some of their museum directors from Sharjah, Abu Dabhi and elsewhere were also present at discussion forums. The Arab galleries given their connections were a hit with local clientele and did some brisk business at the fair. These together with ‘Word into Art', the two Meem exhibitions on contemporary calligraphic and Islamic art held within DIFC complex and some site specific installations and experimental video works at the Creek show, gave one an over view of the local art scene though it did not seem enough and one would have appreciated a larger spread and an opportunity for a dialogue on issues that confront middle eastern practicing artists. It was interesting to learn during a chance meeting with a local artist who also teaches at the art college in Dubai how curriculum and art practices have to be changed around to fit in with religious and political compulsions. There is a change coming with increased use of photography, new media, installation and performance art but the impression one gets is that the artists there could do with some more opportunities for experimentation in terms of media, techniques and conceptualization of their art.
Art from around the world
There was art from all over the world on display represented by some known and others not so well known galleries from USA, Europe, Africa and Asia but all of them were careful in selecting artists and works that were sensitive to local laws and constraints.
Europe and USA based galleries included Baudoin Lebon from Paris, Ben Brown Fine Arts from London, Galerie Tanit from Munich, Kashya Hilderbrand from Zurich, Michael Schultz with galleries in Germany, Korea and China, Aidan from Russia, galleries from Brazil and Far Eastern galleries such as Tonson from Thailand, Contrasts from China, SCAI from Japan and Korean galleries CAIS, Kukje and Sun that showcased some exciting new work that included the Flying Carpet with pieces of hand woven carpet assembled together as an airplane that attracted the attention of dashing young Dubai Price. The Black Sabbath sculptural installation by Richard Steeple from Czech Republic could not be shown due to local sensitivity but the gallery showed his small heads instead. Other works in galleries from around the world that attracted my attention included Caribou on sand oil and Joana Vasconcelos mixed media installation. There were paintings, photographs and new media works and installations some of which seemed intricately designed and painstakingly hand made. The interesting spread of works illustrated the diversity and range of both the imagery and mediums involving experimentation with a mix of ideas, concepts, human touch and technology, as currently practiced by artists with under currents of fun in some cases and social or political comments in the others.
Indian Art
Though not a focus country officially, Incredible India and its art made its presence felt through a good representation of Indian galleries that also reported positive feedback and sales. Most of them showcased emerging young talent and contemporary creativity instead of masters and moderns. Chemould Prescott Road from Mumbai had works by Jagnanath Panda and Hema Upadhyay while Sakshi Gallery exhibited art works by Sumedh Rajendran and Justin Ponmany. Gallery Espace had on show Manjunath Kamath, Poushali Das and Vibha Galhotra amongst others in one section and a solo photographic show of Atul Bhalla's in another. Grosvenor-Vadehra exhibited Rajnish Kaur and Bari Kumar amongst others. F.N. Souza and self exiled Dubai resident M.F. Husain were also there whilst more Indian art was in the shows put together by New York-based Sundaram Tagore Gallery that included minimalist art of Sohan Qadri alongside American resident Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju and Aicon Gallery featured G.R. Iranna, Rathin Kanji and Debanjan Roy's ‘India Shining' with Gandhi sitting with a lap top juxtaposing the old with the new.
There were also international galleries showing Indian work. Chicago-based Walsh Gallery had Sheba Chhachi, Nalini Malani and Ravinder Reddy's work in their space and Italian Galleria Continua featured Anish Kapoor while Albion from London included Jitish Kallat and Mithu Sen in their list. The Thukral & Tagra duo, whose large busy work around city life was included in the Credit Suisse project, was very much a part of the scene as was an amazing multi media life sized recreation of an accident hit Ambassdor car in simulated bones by Jitish Kallat tellingly abandoned in the art park. Sunil Gawde's magnifying lense in stainless and painted steel installed in the art project area was a big attraction as an interactive work.
There were also some interesting fringe shows hosted by Dubai based Indian galleries that cater mainly to the NRI clientele, including the two exhibitions put together by artist turned curator Bose Krishnamachari, which more than made up for the conspicuous absence of frequent fair flyers Nature Morte!
Art India magazine had taken up a booth in the centre of the main hall, while Faces of Indian Art , a book published by Art Alive was also featured at the fair. Asian Art magazine on display there included works by Farhad Hussain and K.S. Radhakrishnan on the cover for two separate issues. The Art Newspaper had a special edition on the art scene of India and the Middle East on the very first day. Art Tactic , also a London based arts research agency, launched their first comprehensive report on Indian Modern and Contemporary Art Market. At a press conference its founder director Anders Petterson spoke about the art market in India surging ahead at a 70 fold increase in its prices during the last 7 years which is worth 350-450 million dollars today while the confidence indicator for Indian art has also gone up to over 40 per cent as against 12 per cent for increase for the west. Given its buoyant economy and increasing international presence, India is now making its way into the expanding art market with Indian and western collectors bidding for masters as well as new emerging artists' works. He also spoke about the need for some regulation to rein in the proliferating art funds and auction houses and the importance of documentation to help consolidate the gains.
Roundup
On the whole the fair was well conceptualized and efficiently managed, though its logistics and communication systems could do with some tightening. Savita Apte, one of the three founding directors of the fair, spoke eloquently about the impact the fair has begun to make for Asian, European and American art all presented under one umbrella and specially so for India, Pakistan and neighboring countries. According to her none of the Indian art galleries based in the country had ever been allowed to be part of any official international art fair/expo directly until the Dubai art fair last year where they featured as self standing entries for the first time thus making a new beginning and entering the arena of contemporary art as an international player. However this claim was refuted by Geeta Mehra of Sakshi who says she has been showing Indian art at international art fairs starting with Beijing some 6 years ago. This is Geeta's second run at Dubai and she seemed pleased with the response, with sales as well as the new contacts she has made and the media exposure that her artists' works have received and the focused and enlightened collectors and other gallerists that she has met.
What seems to make Gulf Art somewhat different from other fairs around the world is its location in a man made city bathed in riches and its character that high lights the imports more than the home grown art. It presents an interesting over view of today's global art that is fairly mobile and innovative. It is amazing that despite the compulsions of adherence to the local Islamic laws, Arab sensibilities, royal authority and social practices that forbid any nudity, religion and overt political representation, some of the galleries and artists managed to incorporate these elements discretely and indirectly in concepts for their canvases and installations. Watch this space for more and the direction that the next and 3 rd Art Dubai manages to take.
( Sushma K Bahl MBE, Formerly Head Arts and Culture for the British Council India, is an independent arts consultant, writer and curator of cultural projects.)
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