Returning to Madinat Jumeirah this May, the landmark edition brings together galleries, institutions and artists from across the region and beyond, reaffirming Dubai’s role as a global centre for contemporary culture and dialogue.
Art Dubai returns this May with a special 20th-edition programme that both reflects on the fair’s remarkable evolution and reasserts Dubai’s role as a vital nexus in the global cultural landscape. Presented in partnership with A.R.M. Holding and with Dubai Culture as Strategic Partner, the special edition will take place at Madinat Jumeirah from 15–17 May 2026, with a VIP preview on 14 May. Notably, entry to the fair will be free for all visitors.
Art Dubai. Image courtesy of Art Dubai.
For two decades, Art Dubai has distinguished itself as more than a conventional art fair. Since its founding, it has become a platform through which artists, galleries, collectors and institutions from across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and beyond have entered into dialogue. This year’s edition arrives at a moment of reflection and recalibration, foregrounding the relationships, collaborations and communities that have sustained the region’s cultural ecosystem.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the fair will feature approximately 75 presentations spanning commercial galleries, institutional partners and cultural initiatives. Around 60 per cent of participating galleries are drawn from the region, underscoring Art Dubai’s continued commitment to regional practices while situating them within broader global conversations.
The gallery programme will encompass contemporary, modern and digital practices, bringing together long-standing international participants alongside galleries that have played formative roles in shaping the UAE’s cultural landscape. Several first-time exhibitors will also join the fair this year, reinforcing Art Dubai’s enduring reputation as a site of discovery and exchange.
Efie Gallery. Aida Muluneh, Distant Echoes of Dreams, 2018. Courtesy of the gallery.
Responding to the realities currently facing many galleries internationally, Art Dubai has also introduced an innovative risk-sharing model in which booth costs will be payable based on sales performance—a move that reflects the fair’s broader ethos of collaboration and sustainability.
Speaking on the significance of the edition, Benedetta Ghione, Executive Director of Art Dubai Group, noted that the fair has “always been more than a conventional art fair”, describing it as “an international platform for this region’s cultural scene as it matures”. She emphasised that this year’s programme demonstrates “the resilience of the UAE’s cultural scene as well as the power of collaboration”.
Dunja Gottweis, Director of Art Dubai Fair, highlighted the breadth of the gallery presentations, which bring together participants from nearly 20 countries. Spanning emerging voices, established artists and historically significant presentations, the programme reflects the fair’s role in sustaining Dubai as the centre of the region’s art market.
Alongside the gallery presentations, Art Dubai’s institutional and public programming will expand to include exhibitions, performances, screenings, commissions, and talks developed in partnership with some of the UAE’s leading cultural organisations. Among the highlights is Made Forward, a major presentation from Dubai Collection — the city’s first institutional collection of modern and contemporary art — as well as the 20th edition of the fair’s flagship Global Art Forum, commissioned by Shumon Basar and titled Before and After Everything.
Ab-AnbarGallery. Douglas Abdell, Beirut Phoenaes, 1985. Courtesy of the artist and Ab-Anbar Gallery.
Additional programming includes an exhibition of modern Arab art drawn from the Barjeel Art Foundation collection, a performance-led initiative developed with Sharjah Art Foundation, and a series of large-scale installations and site-responsive commissions integrated throughout the fair. Participating artists include Khalid Al Banna, Hashel Al Lamki, Rashid Bin Shabib and Ahmed Bin Shabib, Rami Farook, Kevork Mourad, Yaw Owusu, Neda Razavipour and Sudarshan Shetty.
Art Dubai will also collaborate with Alserkal Avenue on a programme of moving-image works screened across both venues, while further partnerships include Art Jameel, the National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia, the Ministry of Culture and the House of Arts.
Curated under the thematic thread “Things we do together”, the wider programme emphasises encounter, participation and collective experience. As Alexie Glass-Kantor, Executive Director of Curatorial at Art Dubai Group, explains, the fair aims to create “an experience that feels connected and open”, inviting audiences to engage with art in both formal and unexpected ways.
Art Dubai today operates as a broader cultural platform that connects artists, galleries, and institutions while contributing to the long-term growth of the region’s creative ecosystem. Its activities are structured through two complementary pillars: Art Dubai Fair and Art Dubai Projects.
Sudarshan Shetty, A Song, A Story Sculpture I – A Public Space, 2016. Presented by Leila Heller Gallery.
Founded in 2007, Art Dubai has evolved into the pre-eminent art fair for the Middle East, recognised internationally for its emphasis on discovery, dialogue and cross-cultural exchange. Alongside its gallery programme spanning contemporary, modern and digital practices, the fair supports artist commissions, educational initiatives and public programming designed to strengthen the region’s cultural infrastructure and nurture artistic talent through sustainable, long-term models. By bridging regional practices with global contexts, Art Dubai reinforces the UAE’s position as a vital meeting point for creativity and cultural exchange — a fair that, much like Dubai itself, remains global, evolving and deeply rooted in place.
Art Dubai Projects, meanwhile, extends the organisation’s reach beyond the fair through a year-round cultural platform operating across public and private sectors. Through public art initiatives, commissioning programmes, institutional development, digital platforms and cross-disciplinary collaborations, it works with partners to strengthen creative infrastructure both within the UAE and internationally. Grounded in two decades of institutional experience, Art Dubai Projects reflects the organisation’s long-term commitment to building sustainable frameworks that support artists, audiences and cultural production over time.
As Art Dubai marks its twentieth anniversary, this special edition offers not simply a retrospective moment, but a reaffirmation of Dubai’s position as a dynamic cultural meeting point — one shaped by exchange, experimentation and the continued expansion of artistic networks across the Global South and beyond.
Art Dubai opens on Friday, 15-17 May 2026 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.
