A glimpse into the future at Abu Dhabi Art 2014

As the sixth edition of the Abu Dhabi Art fair comes to a close, we select the best of the event’s trendsetting highlights.

The gallerist Kamel Mennour’s space during this year’s Abu Dhabi Art fair at Manarat Al Saadiyat. Christopher Pike / The National

Rise of Arab art in the US

The New York blogger-turned-gallerist Taymour Grahne exhibited in the Bidaya section of Abu Dhabi Art – the honour and booth given to one emerging gallery less than three years old. Grahne, who rose to prominence through his blog Art of the Middle East, opened his eponymous gallery last year in New York’s Tribeca district, and placed pieces with the British Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art after his first show.

“I think there is a dearth of knowledge around the world for Middle Eastern art, so I started the blog to be a space for knowledge anywhere,” he says. “I think we have had an impact in New York, and I think it is important, too, that I am presenting them within a global context here at Abu Dhabi Art.”

Noah Horowitz, the director of The Armory Show, the annual art fair held on two of Manhattan’s piers, was also at the fair and explained that next year will have a strong Middle Eastern focus. The Jordanian artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan has been chosen as the commissioned artist, and Omar Kholeif, an Egyptian-British artist and curator, will be overseeing the curated section, Armory Focus: Middle East, North Africa, and the ­Mediterranean.

Catering to Saadiyat

The museums that will inhabit Saadiyat Island were beginning to cast very definite shadows over the gallery booths at the annual art fair.

The Acquavella Galleries featured pieces by Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francis Bacon, while the Edward Tyler Nahem booth offered work from Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Robert Motherwell and Erik Benson. “We bring this art because we think the government have to buy for the museums that they are building, so this is our main focus,” says Paloma Martin Llopis, Edward Tyler Nahem’s international ­director.

Kamel Mennour, a Parisian gallerist, brought huge animal structures standing guard over a Zen garden of pebbles and sand, filling the entire booth.

“I am totally convinced that this is the right art for this fair,” he says. “It uses the medium of sand, which is important to this country, and it can also appeal to many viewers. I love to think about the audience and, of course, the museums.”

The Korean influence

In addition to three galleries from South Korea, there was also an elevated presence of Korean artists in many of the booths. UnKyung Hur, at XVA Gallery, used traditional lacquer for her geometric pieces, while Kim Duck-Yong, in Lee Hwaik Gallery, used the same ­material.

Public engagement

The Beyond section at the fair placed large, interactive pieces around Manarat and one sculpture at the St Regis hotel on Saadiyat Island. Abu Dhabi Art is expanding the initiative by selecting five pieces to go on display in public areas throughout the city for the next six months. We’re really looking forward to seeing where they will be.