His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, has inaugurated the 14th edition of Abu Dhabi Art, taking place Manarat Al Saadiyat until 20 November, and organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi)
During the visit, His Highness toured a number of galleries from around the world, and met with renowned experts including art historian Rachida Triki, gallerist Jade Yeşim Turanlı, and arts journalist Riccarda Mandrini, who are guest curators and collaborators for galleries at the fair.
HH also met with Dr. Omar Kholeif, who has curated the exhibition My Life in the Metaverse, as part of Abu Dhabi Art’s Gateway programme. In addition, HH met with emerging artists who are showcasing their work via the Beyond programme.
His Highness was accompanied by His Excellency Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT-Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary General of the Executive Council; and His Excellency Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT-Abu Dhabi.
Since 2007, Abu Dhabi Art has promoted local artists and strengthened the UAE’s cultural and creative industries. For the 2022 edition of the fair, artist commissions in the Cultural Sites programme include new works by Abdullah Al Saadi, Marinella Senatore, Shilpa Gupta and Conrad Shawcross.
As part of the year-round programme Beyond: Emerging Artists, three UAE-based emerging artists, Majd Alloush and Mohamed Khalid, as well as Sarah Al Mehairi, have created new commissioned works to be exhibited at the fair.
