Frieze Abu Dhabi Lines Up 84 Galleries for Inaugural Edition

Frieze Abu Dhabi announced today the 84 exhibitors who will participate in its inaugural edition, scheduled to run November 19–22 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, in the city’s Saadiyat Cultural District.

The fair will bring together galleries from 63 cities in 36 countries, including 36 galleries (around 43 percent) with locations in the SWANA region. They include Carbon 12 (of Dubai), The Third Line (Dubai), Dastan (Tehran and Toronto), Gypsum (Cairo), Loft Art Gallery (Casablanca and Morocco), and Sfeir-Semler Gallery (Beirut and Hamburg).

They will show alongside international blue-chip enterprises such as Gagosian, Pace Gallery, Thaddeaus Ropac, Victoria Miro, Galleria Continua, and Perrotin, which opened a space in Dubai in 2022.

In addition to the main Galleries section, Frieze Abu Dhabi will also include a Focus section for solo or dual presentations of emerging artists with experimental practices. The six galleries in this section will also receive bursaries to offset costs with participating in the fair, according to a release. The include Dala Nasser at Commonwealth and Council, Tahir Karmali at Management, and Jawad Al Malhi at Iyad Qanazea Gallery.

A new section for the fair, Global Futures, will be curated by independent curator and writer Tarini Malik and feature the work of artists “whose practices engage with histories and

ideas that resonate across the UAE and the wider region,” per a release. Among the highlighted artists are Abdullah Al Saadi (at Aisha Alabbar Gallery), Ala Younis (Taymour Grahne Projects), and Seta Manoukian (at Marfa’).

The Frieze Masters section in Abu Dhabi will organized by independent curator Marika Sardar and feature art and objects from antiquity to the 20th century, with a focus on the Indian Ocean as a theme, “encompassing the historic movement of objects, people and ideas through trade, collecting and cultural exchange,” per a release.

“Across the main section and Focus, galleries will present ambitious, thoughtfully considered booths, while the curated sections – Global Futures and Frieze Masters

Abu Dhabi – will introduce fresh perspectives and avenues for critical inquiry,” Frieze Abu Dhabi director Dyala Nusseibeh said in a statement. “Frieze Abu Dhabi will be a catalyst for knowledge production, art market integration and meaningful participation in global discourse for the whole region.”

Frieze Abu Dhabi, established with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, takes over from the Abu Dhabi Art fair, which operated in the city for 17 years. It is also the second fair this year to launch in the region, after Art Basel Qatar debuted this past February.

“The inaugural edition of Frieze Abu Dhabi begins with the depth and ambition of the UAE and wider WANASA art scene and reaffirms our commitment to fostering meaningful dialogues on the global art stage,” Kristell Chadé, executive director of fairs for Frieze, said in a statement. “Complementing Frieze’s expansive reach, the fair amplifies voices from the region in an international context, establishing a key moment of convening and exchange for galleries, artists, institutions and collectors from across the world.”

The full exhibitor list follows below.

Galleries

Focus

Global Futures

Frieze Masters Abu Dhabi