Some of the leading personalities from the art world will curate new and established sections of the 10th edition of Abu Dhabi Art, taking place in November.

The five -day event will be launched on November 14 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. Some of the curated exhibitions will remain open after the close of the fair in November, in an exhibition programme that extends until January 2019.

Leading artists have been commissioned to make site-specific works in historic sites in Al Ain whilst artist Monira Al Qadiri has been commissioned to provide works for the 2018 visual campaign.

Talks Programme: Nada Shabout, Professor of Art History at the University of North Texas, and Salwa Mikdadi, Associate Professor of Art History at New York University Abu Dhabi, have been invited to organise the Talks Programme for Abu Dhabi Art. They have chosen to focus on the circulation of art and global and local perspectives on ‘new art market economies’ for the forum.

Beyond: Emerging Artists: The 2018 curator for Beyond: Emerging Artists is the renowned artist Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim. He has invited three emerging UAE-based artists to undertake a tailor-made artist programme, culminating in the realisation of an ambitious commissioned artwork to be exhibited at Abu Dhabi Art and for an additional two months afterwards. Abu Dhabi Art 2018 Beyond: Emerging Artists are Ahmed Saeed Al Areef Al Dhaheri, Taqwa Al Naqbi, and Dhabiya Al Rumaithi.

Gateway: The annual exhibition of visual art will be curated by Hammad Nasar for 2018. The curator has conceived an exhibition entitled Structures of Meaning | Architectures of Perception. The exhibition considers artworks that explore the built environment and language as structures through which meaning accumulates. The exhibition will remain on display for an additional two months after the November dates.

Durub Al Tawaya: Abu Dhabi Art 2018 will also offer visitors and collectors the opportunity to engage with contemporary performance art through the sixth edition of Durub Al Tawaya, Abu Dhabi Art’s performing arts programme curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh. The programme will see site-specific performances throughout Abu Dhabi Art and in different locations across the city from November 2018 to January 2019.

Focus: Focus brings together a global group of galleries presenting some of the most important artists of the last half-century. Curated by Dr Omar Kholeif, Focus: Icons considers the key voices that have shaped and influenced contemporary art over the last five decades, paving the way for future generations of artists through their diverse sets of practices.

Beyond is an annual exhibition of large-scale sculptures and installations, which are exhibited across the emirate. As part of the extended off-site programme, Beyond: Artist Commissions returns in 2018 with three commissions in historic sites in Al Ain by established contemporary artists Moataz Nasr, Ammar Al Attar, and Imran Qureshi. The commissions will be unveiled during Abu Dhabi Art and will be exhibited for two months afterwards.