a glimpse into the best of art dubai week 2024

THE BEST OF ART DUBAI 2024: INNOVATION, COMMUNITY AND ART AS A VITAL UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

Amid a year riddled with heightened global tensions, division, pain and fear, the 17th edition of Art Dubai last week was a powerful showcase of the importance of art’s and creativity’s contribution as a universally positive force in our lives.

Like nature, art contains within it an optimistic universal language that moves, emotes, heals, brings joy, celebrates openness and diversity (and the intermixing of worlds). Art naturally fosters conversation, collaboration, ideation and innovation; it creates unity, community, connectivity that each and every human craves especially in the present time. Dubai is a melting pot of cultures, a hub for the meeting of minds, and a cutting-edge champion of innovation and outside-the-box ideation. There could be no more fitting of a destination to underscore a message of embracing newness, coming together, celebrating multiculturalism in a creative context than Dubai, which is uniquely positioned at the junction of East and West.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, this year’s edition consisted of over 120 galleries from 40 countries, over 60 cities and over 35,000 visitors to the fair grounds at Madinat Jumeirah.  

The fair was held in partnership with ARM Holding, Lead Partner Swiss wealth management group Julius Baer, Main Partner Piaget, and General Partner HUNA; and it furthered its commitment to championing artwork, cultural exchanges, and historical memorabilia from across the globe.

Here we recap some of the most exciting moments from the week, particularly the fair partner commissions and collaborations; and the best takeaways from the Art Dubai Digital section. 

HRH Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tours Art Dubai 2024 fair

Krista Kim Took The Pulse Of Art Week Through Her Commissioned Installation In The Julius Baer VIP Lounge

As part of Julius Baer’s NEXT initiative – which explores megatrends across arts, science and technology – the Swiss wealth management group unveiled an interactive digital installation by Canadian-Korean trailblazing metaverse artist Krista Kim, titled Heart Space (مساحة القلب in Arabic). Founder of Techism, an art movement which recognizes technological innovation as an artistic medium and encourages artists to promote digital humanism in the form of culture, Kim champions the concept of digital consciousness.

Housed within the Julius Baer Lounge at Art Dubai, the immersive experience allowed guests to connect with one another via a digital painting across a wall-to-wall LED screen in a mirrored room. The interaction required ongoing input of individual heartbeats using one of four ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor devices inside the room, resulting in a dynamic visual output display of the orchestration of the heartbeats of a collective of individuals, in the form of ebbing and flowing energy wavelengths varying in color based on one’s current state of calm or excitement. With the introduction of a new individual providing their heartbeat, the entire room shifted to reflect an evolved energy. A living social tapestry in co-created by the conscious collective of singular beauty to create a greater whole. ‘If just one person grasps our shared social fabric’s sanctity after engaging with this work, I’ll consider it a success,’ shares Krista Kim. ‘My deepest wish is that from the micro-encoding each distinctive rhythm – to the macro tapestry those strands weave by exhibit’s close, visitors rediscover how alike our heartbeats sound when truly heard.’

Julius Baer’s commission of Krista Kim’s ‘Heart Space’ interactive installation

A.R.M. Holding Launched Artist Sahil Naik’s ‘Worlds in a Box’ Programme

As one of the ‘cities of the future,’ Art Dubai’s Official Partner A.R.M. Holding continues to cement the city’s status as a global center for culture through its cultural initiatives, with particular emphasis on those geared toward youth ages 5 to 17 years of age – our future. A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme kicked off its fourth year cultivating arts and education in the UAE at Art Dubai through its partnership with artist Sahil Naik, to conceive and deliver his ‘Worlds in a Box’ program, which explores creation, using dioramas, memory and the built environment as sources of inspiration for newness. Naik also created a purpose-built Creative Play Area for children attending the fair, and each daily workshop concluded with a tour of Art Dubai.

A.R.M. Holding presented ‘WORLDS IN A BOX’ by Artist Sahil Naik, to showcase his plans for the A.R.M. Holding Childrens Programme

A.R.M. Holding Subsidiary HUNA Unveiled The Huna Sculpture Park at H-Residence

HUNA, the new real estate arm of A.R.M. Holding leveraged its partnership with the 2024 Art Dubai fair to launch ‘The HUNA Cultural Programme’ at the new HUNA Sculpture Park at H-Residence. As a culturally-driven lifestyle developer that transcends traditional property development by infusing culture and art into every project, it seeks to be a catalyst for creative experiences and building culture-focused communities. For its inauguration over Art Dubai week and emphasize the interplay of art with architecture, the HUNA Sculpture Park unveiled a specially curated selection of world-class artworks by three leading international artists: Rana Begum’s ‘No.1235 Mesh’ folded metalwork blends sculpture, painting, and architecture with light playing an integral role; Rising star, Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou’s ‘Measuring Physicality of Void’ consists of five pillow-like copper sculptures exploring tension between the object and its surroundings; Pablo Reinoso’s ‘Solo Bench I’ is a seating tool made of steel that reflects on the relationship between object and functionality, addressing environmental concerns and the human-nature relationship.

HUNA Sculpture Park at H-Residence featuring Rana Begum’s ‘No.1235 Mesh’ and Shaikha Al Mazrou’s ‘Measuring Physicality of Void’’ sculptures

Piaget’s ‘House Of Gold’ Partnered With Local Fashion Designer Razan Alazzouni and Local Jewellery Designer Shamsa Alabbar

Returning to Art Dubai for another year as Main Partner after an absence of four years, Maison Piaget’s showroom-lounge was a display of creative collaboration at its finest – or in the words of the house, ‘Extralegenza’ – through its ongoing commitment to partnering with a wide range of artists in growing their ‘Piaget Society.’ The Maison invited Saudi Fashion Designer Razan Alazzouni to create a glittering gold beaded wall artwork infused with touches of emeralds, diamonds, rose gold and chrysoprase, and milky green quartz, based on one of the Limelight Gala watches; and Emirati Jewellery Designer Shamsa Alabbar to collaborate on adding her touch to the same timepiece. Alabbar is the first Arab designer to etch a design into the dial of the Limelight Gala watch. The exhibition was described as a ‘dialogue between the maison’s rich heritage and vibrant present’. This translates as a journey through Piaget’s mastery of gold, with one-of-a-kind high jewelry masterpieces and a vintage favorite.

The House took the opportunity to also reintroduce a limited edition of the Piaget Polo 79 model, a truly iconic timepiece, fully sculpted from the most precious of metals to form a rare piece of artistry, both a fine bracelet and a watch: the Piaget Polo 79.

Piaget’s ‘House of Gold’ lounge and immersive experience showcased an iconic, rare timepiece of artistry, both a fine bracelet and a watch: the Piaget Polo 79

Ruinart Held ‘Conversations With Nature’ Series With Artists Marcus Coates and Pascale Marthine Tayou

As the quintessential heritage house of champagne, Ruinart has held an ongoing dialogue and close-knit relationship with nature for 300 years. The Maison partners with artists who align with that same sense of relationship with the natural world to help to relay this discourse. For the Ruinart Carte Blanche 2024, six artists from around the world have been invited to participate in ‘Conversations with Nature,’ engaging in dialogue with nature in the Champagne region and challenging their relationship with the living world. For the Ruinart Lounge at Art Dubai 2024, Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou created a large-scale installation composed of a tree adorned with deer antlers and colorful fruits, which is a precursor to his 5-meter-tall bronze sculpture to be installed as a tribute to wildlife at the Maison’s historic site in Reims, France, later this year. At the other end of the Lounge, numerous posters by British artist Marcus Coates presented one month of the nature calendar he created for Ruinart. Inspired by his stay in the Champagne region, these posters referenced Coates’ sculpture that will be placed in the Ruinart garden designed by landscape architect Christophe Gautrand which surrounds the Ruinart Pavilion designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto in Reims.

Ruinart presents ‘Conversations with Nature’ series with artists Marcus Coates and Pascale Marthine Tayou

Clinique La Prairie Popped Up An Art-Infused ‘Longevity Lounge’

An avid supporter of arts and culture, in its pop-up ‘Longevity Lounge’ Clinique La Prarie showcased commissioned works by Syrian multidisciplinary artist Sara Naim who grew up between Dubai and London. The artist was enlisted to create a piece that speaks to the ethos of Clinique La Prairie. An oasis for respite and artistic reflection amidst the bustling fair, the immersive Lounge experience was comprised of three sections embellished with Naim’s artworks: a Detox Bar, featuring healthy snacks and drinks; Holistic Health, where nutritionists give advice for a longevity-driven lifestyle; and the Luxury Experience Room, where therapists from the the newly-launched Dubai Longevity Hub in One&Only One Za’abeel, offered an exclusive menu of treatments for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Clinique La Prarie showcased a ‘Longevity Lounge’ featuring commissioned works by Syrian multidisciplinary artist Sara Naim

BMW Leveraged Visual Artist Asma Belhamar’s Motion-Driven Video Projections To Convey Navigating The Fast-Changing City Of Dubai

Growth and success in life requires the ability to adapt to and maneuver one’s rapidly evolving environment. Asma Belhamar’s storytelling through video projections in partnership with BMW captured the city and surrounding nature in motion. ‘As a visual artist, I perceive Dubai’s rapid evolution as a canvas merging urban development and nature’s grandeur,’ says Belhamar. the BMW-commissioned artist for Art Dubai 2024. With a keen eye for architecture, Belhamar has meticulously captured Dubai—the desert that has blossomed into a metropolis—in experimental prints, videos, and three-dimensional models and installations. ‘When you pass by as a spectator, you witness an ephemeral vision; the construction sites are part of the process of building and change,’ she explains. The artist created an experiential installation – with the BMW i7 at its center – using motion-driven projections to juxtapose the urban streetscape with the serene, monumental presence of nature. The projections conveyed navigating the fast-changing city, while at the same time symbolized art as a means to pause and scrutinize time in motion.

BMW commissioned artist Asma Belhamar to showcase ‘Nature’s Embrace’ in an experiential installation alongside a BMW i7

Art Dubai Digital’s 2024 Emphasized How Collaboration With Machines Can Enhance Human Creative Capability, Promote Community and Serve Humanity

This past week Art Dubai Digital fair, the technology-driven section of the 17th edition of Art Dubai, brought together the world’s best-in-class artists, studios and galleries that leverage new media and represent the zeitgeist of art in the digital era.

In a time when there is a great deal of worry over whether artificial intelligence will serve as a force for good or bad, and an era where there is a love-hate relationship with the fast-and-furious adoption and overuse of digital technology, Art Dubai Digital was an enlightening display of how creative new media can supplement and enhance our growth and human capacity, rather than hinder progress.

Steered by Co-Curators Auronda Scalera and Alfredo Cramerotti, Art Dubai Digital surveyed new tendencies in digital arts, AI, AR, VR, and NFTs, presenting the section through the lens of advanced technologies and offer possible approaches for the future of art and its perception.

‘Art Dubai week truly thrived this year, it was buzzier and busier than ever before,’ said Cramerotti. ‘The fair as a whole has truly been a whirlwind of art presentations, commissions in public spaces, curatorial masterstrokes in digital, contemporary and modern art. This included not only the Art Dubai fair itself, but also projects on Dubai’s Boulevard, the 30-plus galleries in Alserkal art district, and DDX, Dubai Design Conference, which this year focused on User Experience (or UX).’ 

At Art Dubai Digital, Scalera and Cramerotti connected the dots between Google software engineers, broadcasters chief data scientists, and Amazon customer relations gurus by presenting what it is and what will be a viewer experience for visual art in the 21st century, beyond spectatorships and instruction interfaces.

Art Dubai Digital Curators Auronda Scalera & Alfredo Cramerotti

Hilton Contemporary Presented Ouchhh Studio

Istanbul-based Ouchhh studio unveiled the physical rendition of recently revealed AI data paintings as a feature presentation of the 2024 edition of Art Dubai Digital.  The presented works of ‘HUMAN CELL ATLAS_Neuroorganismic AI Data Spatial Painting of Humanity are part of an ongoing multi-year partnership with CERN – whose digital twin encased in a hard drive landed on the moon via SpaceX and Intuitive Machines ‘Odysseus’ lunar landing mission on the 22nd of February, were unveiled in two formats: a large-scale installation located at the main entrance of the Art Dubai Digital in front of Mina A’Salam Jumeirah Hotel, and in Hilton Contemporary’s gallery booth setting featuring a selection of smaller scale collectors works inside the fair. 

Art Dubai Digital – Hilton Contemporary presented a large-scale AI data painting installation by Ouchhh – photo courtesy of Art Dubai. credit_ Cedric Ribeiro for Getty Image

UNIT LONDON PRESENTED KRISTA KIM

UNIT London presented a solo exhibit Union of digital visionary and ‘Techism’ movement Founder Krista Kim, large-scale UV prints, alongside a selection of video works from the artist’s most distinctive digital series. The presentation offered a survey of the visual vocabulary and artistic philosophy that has marked Kim’s singular style since 2018, founded on a desire to create experiential mediative moments through subtly shifting panoramic abstractions. Intended to provide some respite from the information inundation typically associated with screens, her compositions embody a philosophy of Digital Humanism, an examination of digital tools in relation to the human condition.

Unit London presented collector items of Krista Kim

espace Gallery

espace gallery (Geneva / Dubai) presented some of the biggest conversation pieces of the fair, including Marjan Moghaddam’s newest heroic artwork: The Sheik of the Metaverse, a classic glitched creation digital animation symbolic of the rise and evolution of Dubai; and Stephan Breuer’s ‘Temple •|•’ an iconic work that marries the timeless allure of ancient Egypt with cutting-edge technology. The immersive installation invites the viewer to pause and reflect, offering a moment of connection between the rich heritage of the past and the boundless potential of the future.

LEILA HELLER GALLERY

Leila Heller Gallery presented in both the Contemporary and Digital sections of Art Dubai. At Art Dubai Digital, a multi-artist presentation featured a collaborative virtual reality presentation by Maxi Cohen and William Cohen titled ‘The Spatial Art Experience,’ a work by Soheil Rad titled ‘Neon Carpet,’ and works by Maryam Lamei, Clifford Ross, and a series of paintings by Shurooq Amin including ‘Festival Fiance.’

Leila Heller Gallery presented Maxi Cohen and William Wong’s virtual reality art

HOFA Gallery Presented A Breathtaking Exhibit Of Sougwen Chung’s Collaborative Works Between Human And Machine

HOFA presented a solo exhibition of award-winning, multidisciplinary artist Sougwen Chung’s work that investigates mark-made-by-machine and mark-made-by-hand for understanding the encounter of computers – particularly artificial intelligence and robots – and humans. Addressing artificial intelligence as something that is occasionally fraught with controversy, Sougwen process enlightens a sense of artificial consciousness. She is compelled by our human capacity to anthropomorphize our relationship to machines, particularly robots, and how they can effectively reflect how we view ourselves and our own interactions with others.

HOFA gallery presented award-winning, multidisciplinary artist Sougwen Chung, who is internationally recognised as a pioneer of artificial intelligence within the contemporary

Sanji Gallery Invited Fairgoers To Reflect On Their Own Interpretations Of Reality Through Shirin Abedinirad’s Reflective Journey

Shirin Abedinirad’s immersive video artwork experience at the Sanji Gallery booth consisted of two elements: a trio of doors salvaged from the February 2023 earthquake in Adiyaman, Turkey; and a set of three mirror panels. The combination of these components challenges and transforms the viewer’s perspective. The artwork pays tribute to the indomitable spirit of those who, in the face of adversity, seek solace and renewal through the lens of resilience and hope.

Sanji Gallery presented Reflective Journey, 2023. Installation, Land Art by Shirin Abedinirad

Local Dubai Gallery Art In Space Popped Up Its Digital Project ‘Dystopia: Societas Futura: Utopia’

Art In Space transformed their booth into an immersive experience featuring multi-sensory functions to bring to life their digital art project ‘Dystopia : Societas Futura: Utopia.’ The project provides a window into a dualistic vision of a potential future. Here, the convergence of society, architecture, and human existence coalesce in a captivating collision of possibilities. The project, which featured four Italian artists – Annibale Siconolfi, Dangiuz, Federico Clapis, and Maurizio Rosettani; provided a window into a dualistic vision of a potential future, where the convergence of society, architecture, and human existence coalesce in a captivating collision of possibilities.

Art In Space gallery at Art Dubai Digital 2024

BITFORMS GALLERY EXHIBITED A GROUP SHOW THAT EXEMPLIFIES NEW MEDIA ART

A pioneer and champion of new media, digital and internet-based art, New York-based gallery Bitforms presented the works of Ellie Pritts, Claudia Hart, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Manfred Mohr, Jonathan Monaghan and Refik Anatolia.

A Lozano Hemmer work at the Bitforms booth

37XDUBAI

37xDubai, a gallery that serves as a haven for digital artists and helps them to reach new audiences and connect with like-minded collectors, featured the world of two of today’s leading generative artists: Ivan’s Tau and MArcel Schwittlick.

37XDUBAI presents Ivona Tau, The Early Memories of the Algorithm, Reflected in the Artist’s Len, 2023, NFT

HOLY CLUB ‘SAW’ THROUGH MATTEO MANDELLI’S DIGITAL SCREEN ARTWORKS

Matteo Mandelli integrated performance art into his works at Holy Club during fair week. Using a small saw, he sawed through the screens-turned-canvases of his various art pieces displayed on the walls of the booth, transforming, evolving and breathing new colourful life into each work. Drawing inspiration from art pioneers like Lucio Fontana, Mandelli turns screens into portals, where pixels dance in harmony, and screens morph into vibrant souls. His performances break boundaries, tactile expressions of innovation and introspection.

Holy Club presents Matteo Mandelli

Cinello Put Its Patented DAW® Technology To The Test

Italy’s Cinello has pioneered and ushered in a new technology-driven era for historic, classical art: Digital Art Work (DAW®). Through their patented DAW® technology, Cinello has been working with some of the world’s most prestigious museums and institutions that have custody or ownership of priceless masterpieces, such as Da Vinci’s Scapigliata, to responsibly introduce them into the digital era in a secure manner. Every DAW® is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity jointly signed by Cinello and the respective museum, attesting to its legitimacy. At the fair, Cinello exhibited a selection of female portraits by Da Vinci, Raphael, Bronzino, and Modigliani.

At their partner booth, Immaterika, contemporary digital artists working with DAW® technology exhibited their own works, including Florencio Brück, Fabrizio Plessi and fuse.

project info: 

program: Art Dubai 2024

dates: March 1-3, 2024

text by: Katie Lister