ARTARTAFRICAAFRICAFEATURE / HUB IN THE MAKINGHUB IN THE MAKING / DR. ZOLTÁN SOMHEGYI 1/5
HUB IN THE MAKING
by Dr. Zoltán Somhegyi
The art scene in the United Arab Emirates has seen unprecedented levels of growth,
establishing this region as an important place in the global contemporary art market.
This is particularly clear in the capital Abu Dhabi, as well as in Dubai and Sharjah.
In just a couple of years, the UAE has become one of the must-see global art hubs.
Impressive museums, galleries, art institutions and foundations are mushrooming.
The scale of art commerce – gallery sales, auctions and direct studio sales – is
noteworthy, however, the scene is certainly more sophisticated – and its history and
development is more layered than what can be read in short Tweet-like statements.Critiques of the region often claim that the UAE-boom is centred around money.
This viewpoint is too simplistic and doesn’t accurately illustrate the level and depth
of current developments in the contemporary art world. Significant art centres have
always tended to shift throughout the history of modern and contemporary art, and
the trendsetting hubs were not always in the richest cities. Naturally, the two have
often overlapped, but this is not always the case. There are many wealthy states with
relatively insignificant contemporary art scenes.What then lies behind the captivating and speedy development of the contemporary
art scene in the United Arab Emirates? One of the reasons for this exposure
comes from a general ‘Eastern’ shift in global art interests. After the long ‘Western’
hegemony, the international audience has started to open up and discover alternative,
under-represented territories East of the Euro-Atlantic region. This began with the
investigation of Post-Soviet countries in the 90s; the rapid emergence of Chinese
and Indian contemporary art production around the Millennium, as well as the
simultaneous expansion of artistic production in Turkey and Central Asia. The last
decade’s focus on the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region
can also be interpreted as part of this general shift of attention. This is coupled with
an increased global interest in Islamic religion, art and culture and their manifestation
in the Arab countries and in Iran.