There’s an unmistakable elegance to Art Dubai. Eagerly awaited all year round, this is not just a tick off the global fair calendar, but a glorious meeting ground where stories from across the Global South converge. Set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, the 2025 edition opened with a sun-kissed preview and the quiet hum of collectors, curators and creatives. And in that moment, it was clear: Art Dubai is no longer finding its place. It is the place. “Dubai is a unique, global city... the fair has become the main platform and commercial marketplace for galleries and artists from lesser-represented geographies.”
— Pablo del Val, Artistic Director, Art Dubai
120+ Galleries, 65 Cities, 5 Continents - 1 Purpose
From the serene corridors of Contemporary and the bold curations of Bawwaba, to the deep-rooted stories within the Modern section and the future-forward vision of Digital, this year’s programming offers both breadth and depth. And while the numbers impress—120+ galleries, 30 first-time participants, representation from five continents - it’s the emotional resonance of the works that lingers. Each corner of the fair feels like a different heartbeat of the world. A fragmented mirror, gently put back together in the hands of artists and curators.
Bawwaba: Art from the Global South, Reimagined
Curated by Mirjam Varadinis, Bawwaba 2025 is soft yet unflinching. The works here are deeply rooted in recent memory created within the past year or specifically for Art Dubai, and address displacement, climate anxiety and new models of coexistence. A standout piece, from a Beirut-based multimedia artist, threads personal grief with geopolitical unrest, inviting the viewer into a shared sense of searching.
Modern Voices, Heard
Art Dubai Modern continues to give overdue visibility to art histories from West Asia, North Africa, and now to include Latin America. Curators Magalí Arriola and Nada Shabout have brought together nine brilliant presentations, including striking works by Bertina Lopes, Mehdi Moutashar, and a special nod to Venezuelan master Darío Pérez Flores, whose chromatic abstractions shimmer with quiet rebellion.
Digital Art, After the Sublime
This year’s Art Dubai Digital theme“After the Technological Sublime”, curated by Gonzalo Herrero Delicado, questions our evolving relationship with tech. It's bold, speculative, and deeply human. From AI-driven artworks that explore environmental collapse to VR narratives built around surveillance culture, the digital section reflects current times in a deep introspective way. Highlight: Mohammed Kazem’s digital commission, presented by Julius Baer, is a contemplative immersion into memory and movement in a world increasingly ruled by data.
Commissioned to Captivate
Beyond the booths, the fair pulses with installations and performances, anchored by major new commissions. Mexico-based Hector Zamora’s sculptural interventions (in partnership with Alserkal Avenue) command attention with their choreographed fluidity. Elsewhere, experiential works by Breakfast, Ouchhh Studio, and Ania Soliman offer moments of pause and wonder.
Beyond The Artworks
The Global Art Forum returned this year with The New New Normal, a bold two-day exploration of how change keeps changing. Curated by Shumon Basar and Y7, it featured conversations that spanned futurism, digital fatigue, and climate storytelling—with thinkers and artists offering insights more provocative than any headline.
And then there’s the second edition of the Art Dubai Digital Summit, where the conversations covered NFTs, algorithms, and what it means to be a creator in 2025.
“Art Dubai is a movement. One that doesn’t just present art - it fosters ecosystems, builds legacies, and hosts necessary conversations.”
Luxury, Recentered
This is a fair where luxury isn’t loud. It’s thoughtful. It’s Piaget’s elegance yes, but also the quiet impact of a region investing in cultural infrastructure. Where galleries, collectors, and governments align in shared vision. Art Dubai has never felt more alive, rooted in the city’s unique rhythm, yet expansive enough to touch every corner of the globe.
You leave the venue thinking beyond just the trends or the headlines, but in fact of the single word you constantly hear in every narrative from artists throughout the fair: “possibility.”
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