This year’s Art Dubai fair brought together a diverse roster of local and international galleries, showcasing a wide range of contemporary art from around the world. The event featured a strong representation of Middle Eastern and South Asian galleries, highlighting the region’s vibrant cultural landscape. In this story, we take a closer look at some of the highlights from Art Dubai.
Diana Al-Hadid at Galleri Brandstrup
Diana Al-Hadid, photo by Afrodet Zuri.
Galleri Brandstrup at Art Dubai presents a solo booth of works by Syrian-born and Brooklyn-based artist, Diana Al-Hadid, celebrated for her imposing sculptures, intricate panels, and dreamlike bronzes that investigate the interplay between building and decay. Drawing from both ancient and contemporary civilizations, her art blends historical narratives and cultural traditions to reshape how materials and histories are perceived. Her wall reliefs echo themes from architecture, cosmology, and cartography, creating pieces that feel at once delicate and enduring. Transitioning from large sculptures to her panel work, Al-Hadid merges painting and sculptural methods through meticulous layering and drips, achieving a texture reminiscent of frescoes or woven tapestries. Rather than breaking materials apart, voids and gaps emerge naturally, highlighting the relationship between solid form and empty space.
M.F. Husain at DAG
M.F. Husain, photo by Afrodet Zuri.
M.F. Husain, one of India’s most celebrated artists, gained recognition for his striking use of vibrant colors and bold, narrative-driven paintings, often rendered in a unique adaptation of Cubist techniques. His work masterfully showcased India’s cultural and historical icons, capturing their essence with remarkable clarity and depth. Husain’s creative pursuits crossed multiple domains, including painting, poetry, performance, installation art, and film, allowing him to explore both the physical and conceptual landscapes of his homeland.
What set Husain apart was his ability to distill complex ideas into visually compelling and accessible imagery that resonated deeply with audiences. His work, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, stands out as a tribute to India’s identity and destiny. Drawing inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore’s verses in the national anthem, this piece embodies the vision of a modern India. Through a striking arrangement of symbols, it paints a poetic picture of the nation, with a female figure, often interpreted as Mother India, poised gracefully along the country’s map, her anklets echoing the rhythm of progress. This fusion of tradition and contemporary vision is a testament to Husain’s genius in translating profound narratives into timeless art.
Dominik Adamec at Karpuchina Gallery
Dominik Adamec, photo by Afrodet Zuri.
Dominik Adamec, a Czech visual artist based in Berlin, brings a multidisciplinary perspective to his creative practice. His fascination with natural sciences and the concept of chimerism plays a central role in shaping his artistic vision. Adamec’s work explores the dynamic relationships between humans and nature through themes of humanism and identity. At the core of his practice is his unique interpretation of chimerism, which inspires both his conceptual framework and sculptural technique. His approach examines the cyclical nature of identity formation, the symbiotic connections within biology, and the anomalies within Darwinian evolution. This fascination translates into his choice of materials, with paper and ceramics becoming vessels to embody his ideas. By blending the fragility of existential themes with the playful elements of glazed ceramics, Adamec creates a distinctive tension that defines his artistic expression.
Manjunath Kamath at Gallery Espace
Manjunath Kamath, photo by Afrodet Zuri.
Manjunath Kamath, an Indian contemporary artist, brings together painting, drawing, digital collage, and terracotta sculpture to create works rich in cultural and historical nuance. Influenced by the temple art, Yakshagana plays, and Indian epics of his native Karnataka, as well as the artistry of Raja Ravi Varma, Michelangelo, Persian miniatures, and Middle Eastern architecture, Kamath reimagines traditional iconography to explore how cultural elements evolve over time and geography. His painting Ajathakalpa embodies this synthesis, drawing inspiration from illuminated manuscripts across Indian, Islamic, Buddhist, and Egyptian traditions. The artwork at Art Dubai, with its fictional calligraphy and enigmatic text, invites viewers into a realm of imagination, serving as a metaphor for humanity’s pursuit of understanding the mysteries of existence.
Gil Heitor Cortesāo at Carbon.12
Gil Heitor Cortesāo, photo by Afrodet Zuri.
Portuguese artist, Gil Heitor Cortesão redefines traditional painting methods by working with oil paint on Plexiglass, displaying the reverse, unpainted side as the final piece. Drawing inspiration from a diverse array of photographic sources, often featuring modernist architecture and design from the mid-20th century, his approach dissolves familiar shapes and surfaces to create novel, thought-provoking juxtapositions. His recent works often center on liminal spaces, exploring the concepts of boundaries, transitions, and the in-between, adding depth to his exploration of physical and emotional thresholds.
Fariba Boroufar at Gallery Isabelle
Fariba Boroufar, photo by Afrodet Zuri.
Fariba Boroufar, an Iranian artist, intertwines the ancient craft of weaving with representations of architectural forms teetering on the edge of extinction, crafting a poignant commentary on our fractured present. Her work stands as both a poetic lament for lost traditions and a quiet protest against cultural amnesia. Boroufar’s weavings possess an uncanny quality, subtly echoing the built environment in ways that are mysterious, layered, and visually compelling, inviting reflection on alternative ways of engaging with the world.
Nasir Nasrallah at The Dubai Collection
Nasir Nasrallah, photo by Afrodet Zuri.
Sharhaj-born Emirati artist Nasir Nasrallah‘s poignant project, “Letter to Future Self,” delves into the intricate relationships between memory, identity, and the passage of time. Through the medium of photography, Nasrallah crafts a deeply personal and universally relatable narrative, weaving together threads of self-discovery and introspection.
By addressing his future self, Nasrallah initiates a profound exploration of the human experience, probing the tensions between our current selves and the individuals we aspire to become. This thought-provoking work invites viewers to reflect on their own journeys, fostering a sense of connection and shared humanity.
