Art Dubai's Growth Reflects Government-Backed Cultural Strategy in Global City Development
Dubai aims to establish itself as a center for finance and trade through initiatives like Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai, and the Sikka emerging-art fair, all co-owned by the DIFC. These projects integrate retail, commercial, and residential areas. Following the UAE's successful bid for Expo 2020 in November 2013, rents have surged. A Bangladeshi taxi driver observes heightened activity during the art fair, alongside escalating living expenses. Many residents, including Western expatriates and migrant workers, do not possess permanent residency, resulting in a transient community. A fourth-generation artist, lacking citizenship, fears the implications of travel. Contemporary art, once associated with democratic spaces, now contributes to urban development, enhancing competitiveness and promoting investment and tourism.
Key facts
- Art Dubai is growing alongside sister events Design Days Dubai and Sikka emerging-art fair
- Cultural developments in Dubai are government-sanctioned and co-owned by the DIFC
- The UAE won the bid to host Expo 2020 in Dubai in November 2013
- Rents have increased in Dubai following the Expo 2020 bid win
- Most residents in Dubai lack permanent residency rights without employment or sponsorship
- A young artist in Dubai is a fourth-generation resident without proper citizenship
- Contemporary art is viewed as a globally transplantable cultural form in top-down city development
- The Global Cultural Districts Network states cultural projects now drive competitiveness between cities
Entities
Institutions
- Art Dubai
- Design Days Dubai
- Sikka emerging-art fair
- DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)
- Expo 2020
- Global Cultural Districts Network
- Artreview
Locations
- Dubai
- UAE
- Bangladesh
- London
- New York
- Berlin
- Paris