ARTAFRICAArt Dubai focuses on a wide range of subjects through the different sections and collateral
events, including Global Art Forum, which hosts an impressive selection of speakers every
year (whose lectures are often not directly connected to art), as well as other presentations
and book launches. How do these important initiatives help the commercial aims of the
participating galleries?
We firmly believe that the arts should never be seen in isolation, but instead in relation to
society, community, the sciences, technology, philosophy and every other discipline inbetween.
This locates what the fair is doing right at the heart of contemporary debates, rather than being
seen as something peripheral or exclusive. Many of the galleries we work with are as interested
as we are in developing new viewers and collectors; in nurturing interest in their artists from a
wide base and contextualising their practices. Many of the speakers at the Global Art Forums
are artists who show with participating galleries, plus curators and museum directors taking an
interest in arts outside of a Western context. This contextualisation and outreach is something
that becomes ever-more important as galleries seek to broaden their audiences beyond the ‘usual
suspects.’
What are the most appreciated and sought-after media? Do installations and video
artworks have a more solid market now?
Yes, I would say so – in part because of the rise of a number of important institutions (and
more to come) in the region, plus private museums and major collections being more open to
video and installation. Inevitably in the context of a fair, two-dimensional works are still the
most compelling for the regular collector, but tastes are diversifying all the time and increasingly,
collectors are starting with ideas and a gut appeal to the work. Questions of media, the origin of
the artist and so on have become more of an after-thought.
How much of the contemporary African art scene is known in the UAE? Do African artists,
especially those from the Central and Southern African regions, have any exposure here?
Dubai is increasingly known as an international hub for the various art scenes of Africa and,
uniquely, a hub where the Arab world meets Africa. We can understand North Africa both as
part of the African continent and part of the Arab world. Galleries such as Selma Feriani and El
Marsa (both based in Tunis) have exhibited at the fair for years and do exceptionally well. The
fair’s relationship with East and West Africa is growing – we see increasing numbers of galleries
FEATURE / ART DUBAIART DUBAI / DR. ZOLTÁN SOMHEGYI IN CONVERSATION WITH ANTONIA CARVER 4/5
“Dubai is increasingly known as an international hub for
the various arts scenes of Africa and, uniquely, a hub
where the Arab world meets Africa.”