Connecting Artists, Collectors, and Enthusiasts

As part of the 2017 edition of the Abu Dhabi Art fair, Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, ADMAF, will unite art lovers, artists and collectors, offering opportunities for interaction and exchange with more than one hundred of the UAE’s leading creative practitioners. ADMAF’s pavilion at the fair will showcase one of the Foundation’s key initiatives, the Nationals’ Gallery, an online database charting the creative output of the UAE. ADMAF will also present an engaging and in-depth programme of events, tailored to suit all ages, which will be open to the public and will take place from 8th – 11th November, 2017.

Reflecting Abu Dhabi’s position as a thriving crossroads for cultural exchange, The Nationals’ Gallery aims to create an active network of local artists and to offer them tangible opportunities of professional development through educational opportunities, commissions, exhibitions and workshops, building connections with galleries and collectors. The ADMAF pavilion at Abu Dhabi Art will invite both emerging artists and current and emerging collectors to discover how they can participate in this important platform for knowledge transfer and the furthering of UAE creative industries.

Commenting on ADMAF’s commitment to the visual arts and initiatives nationally and internationally, Huda Al Khamis-Kanoo, Founder of ADMAF, said, "An annual event that draws together the international art world, Abu Dhabi Art is a significant expression of the strong cultural vision of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. In step with the ever-strengthening cultural prosperity of the nation, as exemplified by the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the vibrancy of Abu Dhabi Art, ADMAF is pleased to participate in this momentous month. While substantial institutional might asserts the country as an international art destination, ADMAF dedicates its Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion to the initiatives that nurture and support the talent of Emirati artists, emerging and established. These initiatives such as the support of the 100 Emirati artists featured in the Nationals’ Gallery register, as well as other emerging and established artists through grants, residencies and programmes, are our commitment to this generation and the next. Most recently, this included ‘Portrait of a Nation – Berlin’, the exhibition that presented more than 50 Emirati artists during Berlin Art Week."

Visitors to Abu Dhabi Art are invited to participate in a programme of free sessions, where the public and students from many of ADMAF’s university partners will have the chance to be inspired by the leading artists of the UAE’s visual arts sector. The programme will begin with insight into ADMAF’s most recent exhibition, ‘Portrait of a Nation’, the largest ever exhibition of Emirati artists in Germany, which was officially opened during Berlin Art Week in September. This ground-breaking exhibition brings together the UAE’s leading contemporary practitioners such as Ebtisam Abdul Aziz, Amna Al Dabbagh and Mohammed Kazem, to reflect upon the nation from individual artistic perspectives.

Portrait of a Nation artists Ali Al Abdan and Ahmed Saeed Al Areef Al Dhaheri will offer tours of the ADMAF pavilion on 8th and 9th November, giving an overview of their experience from participating in this landmark exhibition.

Budding artists are also invited to bring their portfolios to the ADMAF pavilion for the ADMAF Art Review with National’s Gallery artist Ahmed Saeed Al Areef Al Dhaheri. These in depth one-on-one sessions will explore the ins and outs of developing a sustained creative practice from an established contemporary artist.

As part of ADMAF’s ongoing mission to promote the development of emerging artists, its pavilion will showcase the multitude of awards, grants, residencies and initiatives run by the foundation that offer up-and-coming artists international platforms and access to world-class educational support. The featured ADMAF awards include the annual Christo and Jeanne Claude Award, the Abu Dhabi Festival Visual Arts Award, Creativity Award, as well as the Comic Arts Award.