www.abudhabiart.ae

For the 2024 edition of Abu Dhabi Art, I curated the exhibitor Focus section and titled it Something Bold, Something New to reflect on the content on show - seminal modernist artists who have played a pivotal part in the art histories of the region, while opening up new possibilities for future generations of artists through their diverse set of practices. The eight participating galleries presented some never-seen-before works by modernists whose practices and legacies are long overdue. Showcased modernists included Palestinians Emily Fanous Azar and Nabila Hilmi (Gallery One, Ramallah) Amal Abdenour and Inji Efflatoun (lilia ben saleh, Paris), Lebanese-born Halim Jurdak (Saleh Barakat Gallery), Dr Sami Al Marzoogi from Saudi Arabia (Hafez Gallery, Jeddah), Egyptian Ihab Shaker (Ubuntu Gallery from Cairo), Tunisians Aly Ben Salem (Elmarsa Gallery, Dubai and Tunis) and Rafik El Kamel (Selma Feriani Gallery, Tunis) and Iranians Behjat Sadr, Hadi Hazavei and Sirak Melkonian (Aria Gallery, Tehran).