To describe Abu Dhabi Art as a fair is somewhat misleading. True, the event, which will take place at the Emirates Palace from November 19 to 22, will provide international collectors and up to 45 galleries from around the world with the opportunity to buy, sell and trade ideas on modern and contemporary art. But the commercial entity will be only one aspect of a spectacle that promises to provide the community with a profusion of public programmes, including the chance to access the Cultural District on Saadiyat Island for the first time.
The four-day schedule, which is packed with almost back-to-back exhibitions, talks, outings, workshops and live performances, makes for heady reading. An installation called Beyond will see the hotel's gardens transformed into a labyrinth of sculptures and installations; Art, Talks and Sensations: The Wings Party will mix the great and good of critical artistic thinking and creativity in a unique event masterminded by the international curator and editor-in-chief of Beaux Arts magazine, Fabrice Bousteau; and an exhibition in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum will provide the backdrop for a discussion by leading art world figures on the role of the modern museum.
Emerging artists from around the world will have the chance to exhibit at the fair's Signature section. The event will include a design element, whose programme includes a series of performances, workshops and panels in partnership with Germany's Vitra Design Museum. Most hotly anticipated of all, though, is the sneak preview of the progress on Saadiyat Island which, by 2013, will house three world-class museums: The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Zayed National Museum. There, a "very contemporary space", the precise details of which are yet to be announced, will show Disorientation II, an exhibition focusing on Middle Eastern artists curated by Jack Persekian, the artistic director of the Sharjah Biennial. "It's in the middle of the construction area," says Rita Aoun-Abdo, the director of culture at the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), which is developing Saadiyat Island as well as running Abu Dhabi Art with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach), "and this is very interesting for the public to see. You can have access to a place where they are building iconic buildings."
In the longer term, the space will host the preliminary cultural events that will lead to the opening of the Cultural District. "It's a space where people can start being part of the Cultural District from the beginning," she says, "so that in five years' time, they are the audience." After Disorientation II, which will run for three months, the space will show further exhibitions and serve as a venue for major events, as well as host workshops and an art studio for students.
The breadth of Abu Dhabi Art, though unusual for an art fair in its infancy, links into the strategy to establish Abu Dhabi as a cultural hub. Its intention is "to make [Abu Dhabi Art] the annual point of reference for art and culture in the region," says Dr Sami al Masri, the director general for arts, culture and heritage at Adach. In addition, the selection of public programmes will, he says, "give meaning to Abu Dhabi Art for many audiences".
"When you bring something new to a community," says Aoun-Abdo, "you need to create awareness and to introduce it to people so that they feel it is part of their daily lives. And this is what we're trying to achieve through this platform." An international patrons committee will include the artist Jeff Koons, the auction house owner and collector François Pinault and the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Lord Norman Foster (whose firm Foster & Partners has been selected to design the Sheikh Zayed National Museum), as well the Chinese curator and critic Hu Hanru.
However, despite the sweeping scope of their plans, the intention is for Abu Dhabi Art to take the shape of a "boutique-style fair", with a limited number of galleries participating. The full list is yet to be announced, but some of the big hitters so far include the Gagosian Gallery from the US, Townhouse Gallery from Cairo and Galerie Vallois from Paris. "We focused on regional and UAE galleries and tried to get the most exclusive and unique international galleries that have a capacity to develop and offer universal art," says al Masri. Up to five galleries from the UAE will be represented.
For the past two years, artparis-AbuDhabi, which was also held at the Emirates Palace, has flown the flag for commercial art in the emirate. However, it was cancelled earlier this year amid reports of poor sales. Surely, then, to establish a big-budget new art fair at a time when both dealers and collectors are feeling then pinch is risky? "It's true that this is taking place in the face of global economic difficulties," says al Masri, "but at the same time, somebody has to sustain the market, and since the economic crisis was formally announced, Abu Dhabi hasn't said it's cancelling any of its initiatives or making any alterations to its cultural programme. We're moving ahead in accordance with the plan."
With the Cultural District due to open in 2012/13, they have their work cut out. "You have three museums that will have to open with permanent collections," says Aoun-Abdo, "so there is a need for Abu Dhabi to build this collection. Abu Dhabi will be acquiring for the years to come, so this acquisition process is linked to the art fair." The focus, it seems, is evenly weighted between commercial concern and creating artistic buzz in the lead-up to 2012/13. "The commercial aspect is important," says al Masri, "because of sustainability, but the fair is also a tool for other ends and objectives, so I think in terms of scope it's far broader."
Accessibility, however, won't be achieved at the cost of quality. "I think it's very important for the region to have an art fair that creates opportunities for collectors," he says, "and we are providing a very exciting artistic environment for people to participate in." Abu Dhabi Art will take place at the Emirates Palace from November 19 to 22. For more information, go to www.abudhabiartfair.ae.
kboucher@thenational.ae