Art Dubai today announced details of the programme and partnerships for its 16th edition, which will take place at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai from March 3 to 5, 2023 (previews on Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd March).

Developed in collaboration with a broad range of local and international cultural partners, the expanded programme reaffirms Art Dubai’s role as the meeting point for the Global South’s creative industries and communities.

Highlights of the 2023 programme will include new site-specific commissions and premieres by internationally renowned artists, presented in partnership with the region’s leading institutions. The programme will also feature an ambitious and multi-strand conference, talks and education programme, continuing Art Dubai’s long-standing commitment to thought-leadership and supporting the development of Dubai’s cultural infrastructure.

The Artist Commissions for 2023 are themed around food, community, celebration and hope, with artists selected from participating Art Dubai galleries and South Asia’s leading institutions. Comprising daily performances and food-based experiences, these new site-specific works will explore themes of community, celebration, hope, and connection.

The Swiss Wealth Management group Julius Baer is renewing its long-standing partnership with Art Dubai for a further five years, until 2027, and will also premiere a major new commission by artist, and pioneer in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence, Refik Anadol. The commission will debut in Dubai as a part of Julius Baer’s new initiative ‘NEXT’, which will encourage the interdisciplinary exploration of megatrends across the arts, science and technology.

Also debuting at the fair will be UAE First Immersion, a presentation of new artworks by some of the leading names in digital art, produced following the group’s visit to the UAE in November 2022. The presentation will be unveiled as part of an expanded second edition of Art Dubai Digital, which will also feature collaborations with a range of organisations that are pioneering new institutional models, including Lian Foundation and 6529’s Open Metaverse project.

Locally, Art Dubai’s flagship professional development initiative Campus Art Dubai – celebrating its 10th edition – will expand to include placements with local partners including Alserkal Avenue and Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai, and Abu Dhabi-based emerging artists platform 421, with which the fair will also present a new group exhibition curated by UAE-based artist and researcher Dania Al Tamimi.

Art Dubai’s celebrated transdisciplinary conference Global Art Forum, commissioned by Shumon Basar, will explore the theme “Predicting the Present” and will consider the central question: if it's the end of history and the end of the future, what happens next? The fair’s conference programme will expand in 2023 to include the first Dubai edition of Christie’s Art+Tech summit. The sixth iteration of this event, and the first in the region, programming will survey tech trends, hear from artists who are incorporating tech in their practices, and explore current and future challenges and opportunities, bringing together regional and global leaders, innovators, artists, and visionaries to foster meaningful dialogues on the important intersection of Art and Technology.

Highlighting the important role played by collectors and philanthropists in the development of the region’s cultural infrastructure, Art Dubai’s programme will also include a series of high-level Collector and Modern Talks, presented in partnership with Dubai Collection, the first institutional art collection in the city and for the city.

Art Dubai’s Executive Director Benedetta Ghione commented: “Art Dubai has always tried to reframe what an art fair can be, and this year’s expanded programme fully reflects our role as a meeting point for the region’s creative industries, both commercial and not-for-profit. As an innovative public-private partnership, we have been an incubator of talent, a catalyst for the creative economy here in Dubai, a convener of great minds, and an entry point to this vibrant ecosystem for the wider cultural sector. We are thrilled that our long-term partnership with Julius Baer will continue into a second decade; their continued support allows us to provide the next generation of the region’s artists and arts professionals with incredible opportunities.”

Art Dubai’s Artistic Director Pablo del Val commented: “As the global art fair landscape shifts, Art Dubai continues to play an important role profiling and supporting the cultural ecosystems of the Global South and the programme this year fully reflects this region’s growing importance, energy and vibrancy. One of our strongest ever gallery line-ups, complemented by an expanded commissioning and thought-leadership programme, highlights the breadth of discourse that is happening here, and offers a glimpse into the past, present and future of this important region.”

Art Dubai is held 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 event is held in partnership with A.R.M. Holding. The fair is sponsored by Swiss Wealth Management Group Julius Baer. The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) is the fair’s strategic partner.