Art Dubai 2021: return of art fair reflects emirate’s new normal – and how ‘we are becoming humans again’
- After being cancelled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, last week’s Art Dubai was one of the first in-person international art fairs of 2021
- ‘Taking part in this fair shows the determination of art to be part of bringing life back to normal, for people and humanity,’ one artist taking part said
It was a scene reminiscent of pre-pandemic Dubai in the United Arab Emirates: art lovers dressed in designer clothes or alternative fashion, walking around in one of the city’s many swanky locations. Bloggers, VIPs and influencers filming on their mobile phones. People mingling and laughing.
The only difference? They all wore masks.
“Art Dubai was the first art fair to be cancelled, just when the pandemic started” and now it’s the first to be back live, said Pablo del Val, its artistic director. “I think it’s been an emotional, fantastic moment,” he added. “I think everyone was looking forward to [not] looking to screens and having a physical relationship with a work of art.”
In May Hong Kong will host another major in-person art fair, Art Basel Hong Kong, despite tough quarantine requirements for inbound travellers that have reduced arrivals to a trickle. MCH Group, the Swiss company that runs international art fair Art Basel, announced in January that the flagship fair in Basel would be postponed from June to September.