This year marks the 20th anniversary of Art Dubai, one of the Middle East’s pre-eminent art gatherings. Due to ongoing conflict in the region, it is being presented as a special edition with a modified format. Taking place at the Madinat Jumeirah hotel complex from May 15-17, it will foreground the galleries, institutions and communities that have shaped the region’s art scene and market over the past 20 years, featuring around 75 presentations from commercial galleries, artists, and other cultural partners. Altogether, the participants represent nearly 20 countries, forming a snapshot of Dubai’s unique role in uniting broad cultural perspectives.
The 2026 fair’s more focused format will encompass exhibitions, installations, performances, talks and screenings. The overarching themes are connection and shared experiences, with informal moments of gathering emphasised alongside more formal displays. “Art Dubai has always been more than a conventional art fair, developing into an international platform for this region’s cultural scene as it matures,” explains Benedetta Ghione, Executive Director of Art Dubai Group.
Here’s AD Middle East’s guide to the must-see events at Art Dubai.
Made Forward by Dubai Collection
Dubai Collection, the city’s first institution devoted to modern and contemporary art, presents Made Forward, an exhibition exploring how art collections and communities are created, and what it means to collect and to belong. Focusing on the social structures and architecture of cities, it asks how they evolve over time, and brings together works from over 20 private collections in West and South Asia and North Africa.
Modern Arab art at Barjeel Art Foundation
The Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah is dedicated to modern and contemporary Arab art, and will present a selection of masterpieces from its collection. The display celebrates key art moments in the modern Arab world, bringing together works by Mahmoud Said, Samia Halaby, Mohamed Melehi, Safeya Binzagr and others. Produced throughout the 20th century, they reflect social, cultural and political transformations across the region, and map an evolving visual language.
Moving at Art Dubai and Alserkal Avenue
This collaboration takes place across the two venues, and spotlights moving-image artworks. Featuring 13 artists from seven galleries, the screenings explore the idea of repetition, with works structured through gesture, rhythm and timing rather than narrative. The programme invites audiences to engage with the films as fragments – passing, returning, and pausing to build a sense of meaning. At Alserkal Avenue, the event will unfold as part of the event’s daily rhythm; at Art Dubai, head to the Johara Foyer.
Talks programme
The HUNA Talks space hosts a lively programme of daily talks. Look out for the Global Art Forum – this year’s theme, Before and After Everything, gathers leading voices from the UAE and beyond to discuss the forces shaping cultural thought today. Equally compelling will be Conversations With Artists, co-curated with Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which includes a talk with Syrian-Armenian artist Kevork Mourad; an exploration of the changing identities of museums; and Curator’s Corner, a look at the decision-making behind exhibitions.
Galleries: Art Dubai veterans
Among the longtime supporters of Art Dubai are Ayyam Gallery (Dubai), whose multimedia presentation will feature artist Faisal Samra’s Immortal Moment series – spontaneous gestures in ink, charcoal and paint. Leila Heller Gallery and Lawrie Shabibi are among the other famous names returning.
Galleries: international names
Highlights include London’s JD Malat Gallery, which brings together six artists from Japan, Romania, Columbia, Canada, China and Iceland; and Perrotin from Paris, which will showcase glass works by Jean-Michel Othoniel (Precious Stonewall, made using hand-blown glass bricks from India, is a special commission for the fair).
Galleries: first-time exhibitors
Exciting new names to see include Foundry, an up-and-coming Dubai gallery; Galerie Frank Elbaz from Paris, which will have a show by US and Japanese artists; and LABOR from Mexico City, with its mix of Mexican and global artists.
Galleries: digital innovators
Looking towards the future, Art Dubai has handpicked a selection of galleries at the vanguard of the digital revolution. Among them is Art Fungible from Hong Kong, which bridges the gap between physical and digital collecting. “At Art Dubai, we are presenting the work of Amrita Sethi, the first NFT artist in the UAE,” reveals founder Wei Xue. “Her practice is rooted in the visual life of sound — how voice, vibration and movement carry identity, emotion and meaning into physical and digital works, focusing on the present moment. Through our immersive installation, we invite visitors to feel exactly that.”
Installations
Kevork Mourad’s intricate tower-like sculptures inspired by Armenian memory and displacement will be an event highlight, as will Sudarshan Shetty’s A Song, A Story/Sculpture I and II, which draw on motifs from the India subcontinent (both Leila Heller Gallery). Yaw Owusu’s shimmering Heart of a Place wall sculpture is made using coins from Ghana, the UAE and the US, and reflects on changing notions of value (Efie Gallery).
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DXB Store
Take home objects by UAE creatives, books, gifts and more at this store by Art Jameel Shop. Many items are limited editions or one of a kind.
For more information, visit the Art Dubai website. Download the Art Dubai map here.
