A Conversation with Pablo del Val, Art Dubai Artistic Director, by James Scarborough

Art Dubai 2018 opens this week. It will showcase the work of 500 artists. It will also offer talks, performances, tours, and workshops.

 

Programming includes:

 

Contemporary and Modern. This will feature work from 105 galleries based in 48 countries.

 

The inaugural Residents program. This will feature 11 global artists whose work reflects their experience in the UAE.

 

The Global Art Forum. Titled “I Am Not A Robot”, it will discuss the impact that automation has had/will have on our lives.

 

The Modern Symposium. It will present talks that explore modern art from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Africa.

 

Finally, the Abraaj Group Art Prize, curated by Myriam Ben Salah (Tunisia). It will feature the work of Lawrence Abu Hamdan, who divides his time between Jordan and Lebanon.

 

Pablo del Val is Art Dubai's Artistic Director. The conversation below will preview what we can expect at this year’s fair.

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JS: What were your first thoughts on the similarities and differences between the art worlds of Mexico/Latin America and Dubai/United Arab Emirates/Middle East?

PDV: When I moved from Mexico to the UAE, I initially thought that I would be jumping from one to another quite distant and disconnected culture, but once I arrived in Dubai, similarities and connections became apparent.

Both countries have a very young and vibrant energy. The gallery scene is similar. Great places that have been pioneers creating a contemporary collectors scene from scratch. 

 JS: What is the relationship between art fairs like Art Dubai and their participating galleries, especially small- and medium-sized ones? 

PDV: In Art Dubai the relation with the gallery starts even before they apply to the fair. Building trust and confidence is the base to a successful relationship.

We take care of our galleries in a very special and unique way. We work side by side on the application process, helping them to conceive the right presentation. Every fair has its own energy and the ideal proposal is the one that connects with the energies of the fair.

We treat every gallery in the same way. There is no difference for us. We see every participant as a special case, we study their needs and we try our best to connect them with the right audiences. 

The size of the fair really helps us to focus our attention on each participant. After all, the success of the gallery during the fair is our success. If they fail, we fail with them.

One of the most important things for us are the personal interactions of each gallery with the institutions and collectors that visit the fair. The fair directors and the entire VIP team are involved day by day in making and fostering personal introductions.

Art Dubai has that human touch that makes us different.

JS: As a follow up question, how did you come up with the “Residents” concept?

PDV: Every fair has a section devoted to solo presentations, recent productions, young galleries or emerging artists. How does one conceive a section that is different those in other art fairs, and then link that section with the DNA of the fair?

Art Dubai has quite a lot of not-for-profit programming. From the Global Art Forum to Campus Art Dubai or our biggest commission to date, the GCC artist collective immersive installation in what we call The Room, a yearly commission that links art with food and performance.

One of these programmes has been A.i.R. (Artists in Residence), a programme devoted to invite artists to produce a work in Dubai through the selection of a curator. Works were disseminated around the common areas of the fair and were not for sale.

When I arrived to Dubai, one of the most unexpected things was to discover the number of amazing residency programmes and spaces that the UAE has and I started thinking about how we could collaborate with them? How could we help produce produced locally by international artists, ideally in a new section of the fair?

Converting A.i.R. into Residents was the key. The changes were small but significant. 11 artists from 11 counties take part in a 4 to 8 weeks residency in Dubai (in 5 and Tashkeel) and Abu Dhabi (Warehouse421). The residency spaces are matched with the artist depending on their needs for creating their works. All exhibited works are made in the UAE and they will find their place in a collection or institution as they are all for sale, giving the artists and their respective galleries, the opportunity of taking advantage of an incredible experience in a new part of the world.

JS: Given a volatile, kaleidoscopic environment – digital, political, social – in which the present becomes the past the moment it’s articulated, what is the role of an art fair in 2018?

PDV: I think that an art fair can be a catalyst for different things. At the end we are humans, and humans like to touch, to look, to see and to be seen. We are social animals. A fair gives a unique opportunity to gather with your community, especially in fairs that operate out of the main international economical centres like London, New York or Paris. Art fairs give access to things that are unusual to the region in which they are based.

JS: As Art Dubai continues to mature, how has it contributed and will it contribute to the growth and perception of art in the Middle East and beyond?

PDV: Art Dubai will celebrate this year its 12^th edition. Since its inception, the fair has been the meeting point for the region with the world. If you look to other art fairs you will see that the presence of the Middle East and North Africa is very limited. Being the window to the world has contributed to generate an understanding of it. It’s also important not to forget that Art Dubai mirrors Dubai, which is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. The fair will host this year galleries from 48 countries, making it the most global fair in the world.

JS: What does Dubai offer artists, art institutions, and collectors?

PDV: Galleries have done a remarkable job and have been real pioneers fighting against all odds. The Sharjah Biennale opened in 1993 and this year Art Jameel will open, the first contemporary art museum in the city. The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi last year shows how far the local art scene has come.

We are also lucky to have initiatives like the Sheika Salama Foundation, the Barjeel Foundation and residency spaces like Tashkeel. This art ecosystem is unique and is attracting more artists every day.

JS: How does Art Dubai stack up with other fairs in terms of themes, tone, and inclusiveness, political and social engagement? 

PDV: Art Dubai represents what the UAE is, a diverse and cosmopolitan hub where different societies coexist with harmony. I will say that we are the less Western of all fairs, with a wide variety of presentations from contents that you hardly see together in other fairs.

JS: In five years, what would you hope to have accomplished with Art Dubai?

PDV:  Constructing a solid community of local collectors is one of my more important goals. A fair has a very fundamental responsibility, it shapes collections. The better our fair, the better the collections we will have in the region.