DUBAI 10 March 2018: The fourth season of World Art Dubai, the Middle East’s accessible and affordable art fair, will return to Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 18-21 April with its largest collection of works by an assortment of local, regional and international artists and galleries to date.
The ongoing growth of World Art Dubai comes as artprice.com, the world leader in art market information, ranked Dubai in the top 20 global contemporary art markets in 2017. Meanwhile, at a national level, public and private entities across the UAE continue to invest heavily in a maturing calendar of expansive arts industry exhibitions, as well as major international arts and culture institutions.
In this exciting, arts-centric environment, World Art Dubai 2018 returns to DWTC with more than 300 individual artists and galleries from five continents displaying works across a sizeable curated exhibition space. The expansive collection will feature more than 4,000 original contemporary artworks priced between US$100 to $20,000 (approximately Dh350 to Dh74,000) reflecting the population’s growing desire for affordable art works and the country’s growing prominence as a leading culture and arts hub.
The show, which will close this year’s Dubai Art Season is expected to attract more than 15,000 visitors over four days.
“World Art Dubai offers a completely unique proposition in the domestic and regional art scene,” says Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC. “The show is a one-off platform for emerging and established artists and galleries across the globe to come together in an affordable environment which appeals to both new and seasoned art collectors. Fusing art, education and entertainment, World Art Dubai is expertly curated to offer compelling creative and sales points for the UAE’s passionate population of art lovers, corporate buyers, private collectors, architects, interior designers and VIPs alike.”
Held under the tagline ‘Live it, Love it, Buy it’, visitors to World Art Dubai 2018 can expect a much more chic and urban atmosphere than previous seasons, with a wealth of new segments designed to target the city’s creative millennials. At the forefront of the new media revolution in the art world since the 70s, a digital art section will allow collectors a unique look into this innovative up-and-coming art form, while a section dedicated to photography will house vintage and established contemporary photographs from both individuals and galleries.
With fresh international talent, champions of the UAE’s thriving art scene and an expansive collection of Emirati trailblazers all accounted for, more than 300 international and local artists will be represented at this year’s show, with confirmed galleries including: the UAE’s Art Plus Gallery, Lebanon’s WhiteSpace Gallery, Signet Contemporary Art from the UK, Peru’s Luis Fuentes, Mihyo Art Gallery from Korea and Gnani Arts from Singapore. Dozens of galleries will also feature in dedicated Japanese and Indian pavilions.
Participating solo artists include Jeff Murray (UK), Stephanie Neville (UAE), Shefali Ranthe (Denmark), Mika Yajima (Japan), Beatriz Elorza (UK), Design by Mariska (UAE), Sarang Singla (India), Leila Kanso (Lebanon), Raja Segar (Sri Lanka), Benties Kaoqimeta (Germany) and Dr. Ahlam Al Shedoukhy (Saudi Arabia).
With 2018 marking the ‘Year of Zayed’, World Art Dubai will also be celebrating the legacy of the UAE’s founding father with a number of activations designed to pay glowing tribute to the enigmatic leader, statesman and visionary who continues to shape and inspire a nation a century after his birth. One such installation will be a dedicated photography museum that gives brands a space to curate old and unique pictures of The Father of the Nation, depicting the many ways in which Sheikh Zayed touched lives and transformed the country into the modern progressive state it is today.
Not stopping there, WAD is teaming up with both Repton School and Foremarke Dubai in recognition of the ‘Year of Zayed’. More than 2,000 pupils from the schools, which are based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, will create an interactive exhibition comprising a rich body of abstract drawings, paintings, sculptural works, collaborative installations and digital artwork that draw inspiration from history and explore the future of the nation.
Finally, the ‘Art for Every Wall’ section provides a dedicated area featuring artworks from over 50 artists in a price range of Dhs500 to Dhs3,000, providing the perfect opportunity for new buyers to take their first steps as art buyers and collectors.
World Art Dubai 2018 is open from 2pm to 9pm on Wednesday 18th April to Saturday 22nd April, World Art Dubai costs Dh15 for online tickets and Dh20 on the door. For more information, please visit www.worldartdubai.com