ARTAFRICAFEATURE / ART DUBAIThe Arts Should Never
Be Seen In Isolation
Dr. Zoltán Somhegyi in conversation with Antonia Carver,
Fair Director of Art DubaiART DUBAI / DR. ZOLTÁN SOMHEGYI IN CONVERSATION WITH ANTONIA CARVER 1/5
Zoltán Somhegyi: This year will be the much anticipated 10th edition of Art
Dubai. How do you see this first decade of the fair?Antonia Carver: Art Dubai was founded in 2006, with the first edition of the fair in- At the time, this was the first major international fair in Asia. This anniversary
has led us to reflect on the enormous changes that have taken place – not only
locally, in the UAE, but across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. We
sifted through the news and views of the 2007 edition and that feels like a wholly
different time – one when art scenes outside of London, Paris, and New York were
seen by many as something challenging, new and exotic. Thankfully there’s a far
deeper understanding now, not only of the nature of the art world (one of multiple
centres and narratives), but of the deep and impactful history of the art scenes of
the various cities across these vast, nuanced regions.
In recent years we have read increasingly sceptical and critical opinions
about the future of art fairs in general, especially due to the fact that another
significant event is organised practically every week. Sometimes important
fairs also overlap and “full-time” collectors get busy and tired of travelling. In
your opinion, is the fair model still in boom or are online trading and virtual
art fairs a legitimate threat to traditional ones?A few years ago, the term ‘fair-tigue’ came into the zeitgeist and yes, increasingly art
world travellers are time-poor and wary of events that appear to replicate others,
biennales that appear to be more about the curator’s whim than the works, or fairs
that have an off-the-peg shopping mall aesthetic. At Art Dubai we’ve always asked
how to do things differently – to present a fair that’s compelling, that offers new
discoveries, both in terms of ideas and works. We’re still among the most global art
fairs, with galleries coming from forty countries, and we adhere to a different model
whereby galleries are asked to curate their booths; to present new works, new artistsARTAFRICA