“Art Dubai” concludes its activities for the year 2022 with exceptional sales and a record number of visitors

Art Dubai concluded its 15th edition on Sunday, March 13, 2022, with exceptional sales in all four sections of the fair: Modern, Contemporary, The Gate and Art Dubai Digital. With the return of the exhibition’s size to its previous era in Madinat Jumeirah, “Art Dubai” achieved a remarkable success by organizing its largest session for the year 2022 since its inception, as it received more than 30 visitors over five days. The success of the fair reinforces the growing importance of Dubai as a global hub for art, culture, innovation and technology, and Art Dubai as a leading global market for art and artists from the Middle East and Global South.

Art Dubai 2022 has organized more than 120 presentations across 104 galleries and art platforms from 44 countries. The exhibition program is complemented by newly commissioned works by world-renowned artists, and a world-class innovative talks program, bringing in illustrious experiences including the 15th edition of the Global Art Forum and the new Bybit Talks Discussion Series.

Art Dubai 2022 also saw the debut of Art Dubai Digital, a new physical exhibition section that presents a curated selection of 17 modern digital platforms globally. For many digital platforms, this was their first experience of participating in the exhibition in the context of a traditional exhibition, and exceptional sales were achieved from exhibition visitors and online at scale.

Pablo Del Val, Artistic Director of Art Dubai, commented:
“This session was undoubtedly one of the most successful editions of Art Dubai, in terms of visitors and sales, which fully reflects Dubai's position as an engine of global growth and is no longer the city we look to for the future, but we are living in the bright future now. The response of fans and art collectors to the first edition of the Art Dubai Digital section has been truly amazing. Art Dubai prides itself on being a showcase for innovation and forward-thinking, and there was real effort and dynamism for 2022 across the entire event.”

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The exhibition “Art Dubai” is held in partnership with A.R.M. Technical Holding. The main sponsor of the exhibition is the Swiss wealth management group Julius Baer. And the strategic partner is the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture). And the main partner of the “Art Dubai Digital” division, Bybit.

To view the list of galleries participating in “Art Dubai” 2022, please click here

Selected quotes from participating galleries:

Kristin Helligerdi, Founder of Kristin Hellegerdi Art Gallery:

“We had a very successful art week, there was a lot of positive energy, and we sold multiple businesses to both new and repeat clients. Dubai is a city in transition, and there is undoubtedly a growing scene for art collectors at all levels.”

Victoria Cook, director of the 1957 Gallery:

“This is our third time at Art Dubai and this session has been the most successful so far, it's great to be back again. On opening day, we sold artworks to African, South Asian, and regional collectors. Dubai is a truly cosmopolitan city, and it was an incredibly positive experience.”

Priyanka Raja, Founder of Experimenter Lounge:

“We had a very successful week, selling off almost all the work we brought in for show, mostly to enterprises. It was one of the strongest versions in Art Dubai's history, in terms of the quality of the galleries, the art that was shown, and in our discussion sessions. We met people from all over the world, sold new people, it was a very productive week for us. There was a constant hustle and bustle, throughout the exhibition, in addition to the sales we had, Art Dubai is a long-term medium or link and feels like a moment of celebration for our artists.”

Asmaa Shabibi, director and co-founder of Lawrie Shabibi

We had a good exhibition this year, with good sales we have seen in our booth and exhibition – we are really happy with the positive energy, interest and excitement that we saw at Art Dubai in its XNUMXth year which reached levels not seen in many years even in the pre-pandemic period.”

Joe Kennedy, Founder of Institut.co:

“We were thrilled to be invited to participate in the inaugural digital section of Art Dubai, which brought together the meticulously curated sections of platforms, galleries and DAOs from this innovative and rapidly expanding space. It was a great opportunity for Institut to meet members of our community face-to-face, educate and interact with a global audience, and we had a very successful week.”

Henry Brand, from Fingerprints DAO:

“We have chosen to participate in a hybrid kiosk that includes digital and tangible exhibits and have sold a large number of them, many NFTs minted here at the kiosk for many collectors of different ages and nationalities. It is our first time participating in an art exhibition and we chose a rather challenging presentation to expand the use of the blockchain art sector as a medium for artists.”

Dima Abdelkader, Emergeast:

“Art Dubai has been very impressive for us, the feedback and the market movement has been very positive and inspiring. We had great sales and almost sold the booth. This period is clearly unique, and in 12 months the art scene will be different.”

Thomas Brambilla, founder of Thomas Brambilla:

“This was our first participation here at Art Dubai and we achieved sales that exceeded our expectations. It's been a lovely week and we really enjoyed it, in a whole new part of the world for us, and we're planning to re-engage again. Dubai is more important than ever, it is a gateway to the region, and we met many serious collectors this week.”

Matteo Consone, founder of Madragoa:

“This is our first experience at Art Dubai and it was a very positive experience. We are an emerging European art gallery and this week we were at the heart of Dubai's momentum. We've met many people from the area, who stay here and are drawn to the city vibe, as well as the locals. We had a discussion about a Mexican artist and his unique international artistic style. Sales were consistent throughout the week and we were happy to sell the kiosk.”