Art Dubai 2018: 105 Galleries from 48 Countries Set Record

Art Dubai's 11th edition will feature a record 105 galleries from 48 countries, reflecting the city's role as a hub for the MENASA region. Director Myrna Ayad highlights Dubai's safety, economic stability, and multiculturalism as key to the fair's success. New initiatives include Residents, a residency program for eleven artists; a museum-scale exhibition in the Dubai Modern hall curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, supported by MiSK Art Institute; and the third edition of The Room, an immersive space by collective GCC. Art Dubai Modern, established in 2014, remains the only fair section dedicated to modern art from the region, now complemented by the Modern Symposium. Ayad notes that the UAE's cultural infrastructure is still developing, citing a recent Cultural Retreat where a culture fund was announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The fair positions itself as a global platform for discovering modern and contemporary art from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.