For the past 16 years, the Middle East has played host to one of the world’s leading international art fairs: Art Dubai. Every year in March, Art Dubai is the central hub for local, regional, and international conversations on art from the Middle East and surrounding region, putting art from these territories onto the global map. The fair makes a commitment to cultivating a culture of discovery, offering exciting new global perspectives and broadening conversations about art beyond traditional western-led geographical scopes and narratives. It drives meaningful engagement with the rich and cultural heritage and contemporary art practices of the region, and extends to territories across Southeast and Central Asia, the African continent, and Latin America through presentations across its gallery sections.

In its role as an incubator of talent, Art Dubai has been the launch pad and development platform for the successful career of artists, art curators, and art professionals, and continues to celebrate art excellence through its extended fair programming initiatives.

Art Dubai is part of a vibrant and dynamic local art ecology, and operates in close collaboration with institutions that are the heartbeat of artistic production in the UAE, such as the Jameel Arts Centre, Ishara Art Foundation, Sharjah Art Foundation, Maraya Art Centre, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, Tashkeel, NYUAD Art Gallery, and Alserkal Avenue among others.

Art Dubai 2023

The 2023 exhibition was one of the most ambitious to date. The event, which opened to the public from 3^rd until 5^th March at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, featured over 130 contemporary, modern, and digital gallery presentations from six continents, including over 30 first time participants. The contemporary art exhibition featured works from 76 galleries and 34 countries, with particular focus on the Global South.

Art Dubai Digital launched to rave reviews in 2022, and was back this year with an annual snapshot of the digital art landscape, exploring how artists are using new, immersive technologies to shatter the boundaries of the traditional art world. The edition was created by Clara Wei Peh, whose focus was on the artists, galleries and institutions that are driving this fast-developing arena in all six continents.

 , 2023, was curated by Mouna Mekouar and Lorenzo Giusti, and featured solo presentations by Dubai’s modern masters, reinforcing the entire exhibition’s commitment to curatorial scholarship and art historical research.

2023 saw the 16^th edition of the event’s flagship summit, the Global Art Forum. It explored the theme of “Predicting the Present” and included leading speakers such as Sumayya Vally, architect of the Serpentine Pavilion, and Lukas Amacher, Head of Art at Dialectic and 1of1 Works. Christie’s Art+Tech Summit also made its Middle Eastern debut this year, bringing together experts to discuss topics such as AI, digital asset ownership, financial innovation, and blockchain.

Art Dubai really is an expression of boundless creativity beyond borders. A melting pot of East meets West, for creatives of all ages, all different levels of experience, and from an enormous variety of cultural backgrounds.

Istituto Marangoni Dubai

In September 2022, International Design School Istituto Marangoni inaugurated its new campus in Dubai. A creative melting pot of  Italian heritage, UAE tradition, and international influences, its campus is located inside the Dubai International Financial Centre, and offers a variety of undergraduate and professional courses in Fashion, and the various branches of design. All the courses are taught by the Institute’s team of professionals from Italy.

The school of design at Istituto Marangoni offers an exciting opportunity to fuse Italian expertise with local talent, with a view to shaping the future of the UAE fashion, design, and creative industries. Its strategic partnerships and international outlook make Istituto Marangoni the ideal place to develop your skills and learn from industry experts. With its unique network of international schools, Istituto Marangoni also offers enriching study abroad opportunities for students looking to broaden their horizons in every sense. We offer a wide range of design courses, the information for which can be found below.

Art in Fashion course at Istituto Marangoni, Dubai

An ideal introduction to fashion programmes, and the perfect taster for anyone considering a more intensive course, our short courses in Art and Fashion cover a wide variety of subjects at different levels, and are of various durations to suit all preferences. This short yet dynamic course explores the influence and impact of art on fashion and luxury. Participants will gain a true understanding of the influence that art has always had on style and the way we dress. They will learn to question the worlds of both fashion and art so that they can evaluate, improve and integrate the characteristics of fashion design, image and style while seeking dialogue with artists in the fast-paced, highly creative fashion industry.

Choosing a design course can seem a bit overwhelming, which is why our experts are on hand to help. Please feel free to get in touch with us, and we will be happy to answer any questions and offer our guidance.