ARTAFRICAand stellar shows. Half of our activity is in the not-for-profit sector. We foreground the fair as
a meeting point and laboratory of ideas as much as an exhibition venue. I think many fairs are
being forced to rethink their unique purpose and character.
As for virtual fairs and the dot-coms, it is evidently a growing sector, but the appeal is somewhat
limited, as is the audience. To really know and discuss works, there needs to be a physical
experience. I don’t think that will change, at least in the short term. People still want to see,
discuss, experience. The unique function of an art fair as a meeting point stands firm. The online
(social) media revolution has been a boon though, in terms of access to education, opinions and
debates.
Art fairs often have an educational aspect aside from the commercial purposes they
serve as a platform to bring art closer to the wider public. How has the reception of
contemporary art changed in the UAE since the foundation of Art Dubai?
Totally! The UAE has a long history of appreciation and interest, but only in the past fifteen
years has the scene become internationalised and of wider appeal to the general UAE and
regional public. We take education pretty seriously at Art Dubai and have the largest education
programme of any fair worldwide – from children’s programmes with the Sheikha Manal Little
Artists initiatives, to student and intern programmes, to Campus Art Dubai (our Saturday art
school, now with over five hundred members), to fellowship programmes for curators and writers.
We work closely with the UAE government – the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Dubai
Design District – to develop programmes that nurture the next generation, as well as those who
grew up with Art Dubai and use the fair as their annual museum.
FEATURE / ART DUBAIART DUBAI / DR. ZOLTÁN SOMHEGYI IN CONVERSATION WITH ANTONIA CARVER 3/5
Installation view of Art Dubai 2015, Gallery Hall 1, Marker, Image Courtesy of The Studio, Dubai.