Experience a kaleidoscope of colours at Art Dubai 2025
Art Dubai is back for another edition this year. From beautiful paintings to innovative installations, there will be a wide spectrum of art for visitors to discover. Whether you’re a professional artist, an art connoisseur or just an intrigued art lover, you’ll love these highlights of Dubai’s annual art fair.
ABOUT ART DUBAI
Founded in 2007, Art Dubai is the premier international art fair in the Middle East. It acts as a platform for discovery and cultural exchange, with a strong emphasis on artists and galleries from underrepresented regions.
Each edition features around 120 contemporary, modern and digital galleries from over 40 countries. The fair also presents artist commissions, educational initiatives and the most comprehensive talks programme among global art fairs, including the Global Art Forum and a dedicated Digital Summit.
Art Dubai, one of the biggest annual celebrations in Dubai, partners with government and private entities to drive long-term cultural initiatives across the UAE.
These include the Dubai Collection, the city’s first institutional art collection; Dubai Public Art, a wide-reaching public art programme; nationwide cultural education projects with A.R.M. Holding; and Campus Art Dubai, which nurtures emerging cultural leaders through mentorship and training.
ART DUBAI GALLERIES 2025
This year, Art Dubai 2025 galleries will be divided into four sections: contemporary, digital, modern and Bawwaba. Let’s look closely at each art zone.
CONTEMPORARY ZONE
Art Dubai Contemporary features galleries from across the globe, including both up-and-coming and well-known art hubs. It aims to inspire curiosity and fresh ways of seeing the world through art.
Applications are carefully reviewed by the Art Dubai Selection Committee, including Andrée Sfeir-Semler, founder of Sfeir-Semler Gallery and Priyanka Raja, co-founder of Experimenter, along with the curators for the 2025 edition.
MODERN ZONE
Art Dubai Modern 2025 is curated by Magalí Arriola, Director of Museo Tamayo in Mexico and Nada Shabout, Professor of Art History at the University of North Texas.
This section showcases works by Modern masters from the region, reflecting Art Dubai’s dedication to art historical research and lesser-known narratives. These influential 20th-century artists have shaped the region’s artistic heritage and continue to inform today’s cultural context.
Here is a list of some galleries that will grace the Art Dubai Modern zone:
- Agial Art Gallery, Beirut
- DAG, New Delhi / Mumbai / New York
- Mark Hachem, New York / Paris / Beirut
- Leila Heller Gallery, New York / Dubai
- Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai
- Meem Gallery, Dubai
- Gallery One, Ramallah
- Richard Saltoun, London / Rome / New York
- Vigo, London
BAWWABA
Bawwaba, which means ‘gateway’ in Arabic, will be curated this year by Mirjam Varadinis, a writer and experienced curator from Kunsthaus Zürich. Her work often explores new ways of presenting contemporary art.
This section will showcase 10 solo exhibitions, featuring artworks made in the past year or created specially for the fair. For its sixth edition, Mirjam explores the question: “How can we rethink how we live together with each other and the planet?” The featured artists respond by reflecting on their own experiences of displacement and imagining new ways of coexisting.
Bawwaba will feature the following galleries:
- Art: Concept, Paris
- Gallery Artbeat, Tbilisi
- Aspan Gallery, Almaty
- Blueprint12, New Delhi
- Galerie Dix9, Paris
- Iris Projects, Abu Dhabi
- Parallel Circuit, Tehran
- Pinksummer, Genoa
- Secci, Milan / Pietrasanta
- Federica Schiavo Gallery, Rome
DIGITAL ZONE
Art Dubai Digital is the leading art fair section focused on digital practices, exploring how new media and technology shape today’s culture. The 2025 edition is curated by Gonzalo Herrero Delicado, an independent curator and lecturer at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in London.
Here is a list of galleries:
- AAF Projects X Ellen Sheidlin Studio, Las Vegas
- Art on 56th, Moregem
- BREAKFAST X Ace Art Advisory, New York
- Sevil Dolmaci, Istanbul / Dubai
- Future Maastricht, Maasticht / Milan
- GAZELL.iO, London / Baku
- Hafez Gallery, Jeddah
- Hilton Contemporary, Chicago
- Holy Club, Carnate
- Immaterika, Milan / Rome
- Inloco Gallery, Dubai
- Koshta.collective, Dubai
- Monada Art Gallery X 10101.art, Dubai
- Mondoir Art Gallery, Dubai
- Nguyen Wahed, New York
- Ouchhh Studio, Istanbul
- piXel, Milan / Capri
- TAEX, London
ART DUBAI PROGRAMMES 2025
CAMPUS ART DUBAI 12.0
The upcoming edition, CAD 12.0, will provide participants with genuine responsibilities within Art Dubai, guided by experienced team members. The program will start with a placement of three to six months in one of Art Dubai’s departments, leading up to and during the fair.
During this time, participants will attend masterclasses, receive mentoring and work on tasks aligned with their career goals. After the fair, they will join a career-focused programme that includes skills training and networking with local cultural leaders.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Since it began, Art Dubai has supported creative thinking and helped artists and art professionals grow. Its main programmes include the Global Art Forum, a yearly event that brings different fields together, the Digital Summit and ongoing projects for artists, collectors and modern art experts.
ART DUBAI COMMISSIONS
Art Dubai Commissions offers a platform for artists to create site-specific works, supporting both local and international artistic production while enriching the cultural scene.
This year’s programme focuses on themes of change, freedom and the relationship between people and materials. Mexican artist Héctor Zamora, known for his powerful site-based projects, will present sculptures and group performances using terracotta. His work explores the meaning and ritual use of clay vessels, highlighting their cultural and material value.
PUBLIC ART STRATEGY
Art Dubai Group, in partnership with Dubai Culture, is creating a long-term plan to turn Dubai into an open-air art space. This programme, made with local cultural partners, invites UAE-based artists to create large-scale public artworks across the city.
EDUCATION
Art Dubai focuses on helping young artists and cultural professionals develop their skills. Key programmes include Campus Art Dubai, now in its 12th year, which offers training and mentorship and the A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme, the largest of its kind in the UAE, reaching over 15,000 students and 100 schools.
DUBAI COLLECTION
Dubai Collection is the city’s first official art collection, supported by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It works like a museum without walls, with artworks loaned by collectors. The collection is shared through exhibitions and events in Dubai and abroad.
TALKS
The 2025 edition of the art fair will feature a series of talks, discussions and debates about the past, present and future of the community.
GLOBAL ART FORUM
Global Art Forum is the event’s yearly summit that brings together leading thinkers from different fields. Held during the fair, it explores ideas and trends shaping the world around us.
DIGITAL SUMMIT
Following the success of Art Dubai Digital, this annual summit gathers local and global experts to discuss how art and digital technologies are evolving. The summit also looks at Dubai’s growing role in this space. It is held in partnership with Dubai Culture.
COLLECTOR TALKS
This series features collectors from around the world who are helping to shape the future of art. Through their stories, they share what drives them and how they support art in growing cultural hubs.
MODERN TALKS
Held every year, Modern Talks focuses on research and hidden histories in art. It reflects the event’s dedication to learning and is presented in partnership with the Dubai Collection.
CONVERSATIONS WITH ARTISTS
This new series highlights both emerging and well-known artists from the fair. These talks offer a closer look at their work, stories and creative journeys.
PARTNER TALKS
Partner Talks is a fresh series developed with the fair’s local and international partners. It offers diverse views on art, culture and collaboration.
FAQs
WHEN AND WHERE WILL THE EVENT TAKE PLACE?
The 2025 edition will be held at the iconic Madinat Jumeirah on Jumeirah Beach Road in Al Sufouh 1, Dubai.
The fair will run from 18 to 20 April 2025, with exclusive preview days on 16 and 17 April.
Here are the Art Dubai 2025 dates:
- Wednesday, 16th April: 02:00 pm – 09:00 pm (By invitation only)
- Thursday, 17th April: 02:00 pm – 09:00 pm (By invitation only)
- Friday, 18th April: 02:00 pm – 09:00 pm
- Saturday, 19th April: 02:00 pm – 09:00 pm
- Sunday, 20th April:
- VIP hours: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Public hours: 12:00 pm – 06:00 pm
HOW MUCH IS THE TICKET PRICE FOR THE EVENT?
Art Dubai tickets cost:
- 1-Day ticket: AED 100 (Valid for 18, 19 or 20 April)
- 3-Day ticket: AED 200 (Valid for April 18 – 20)
WHO TO CONTACT FOR VIP-RELATED QUERIES?
You can contact their VIP Relations team at vip@artdubai.ae. For queries about VIP accreditation and invitation-only days, fill out the form available on their website.
ARE ANY OTHER ART EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN THE EMIRATE?
You can look forward to these art events in Dubai in 2025. Amongst these events, the Sikka Art and Design Festival generated quite a hype.
That ends our guide to Art Dubai Madinat Jumeirah. We hope you have a great time looking at the beautiful paintings and installations at the art fair. If you are a dedicated art enthusiast, you should check out the popular art galleries in Dubai.
Stay tuned to MyBayut for more interesting art and lifestyle updates.
Featured Image Credit: Art Dubai Facebook Page
