Abu Dhabi Art Fair is preparing for its 17th edition next month with unprecedented growth and global reach, as Director Dyala Nusseibeh leads the event toward a transformative future in the Gulf region's art market. The fair will welcome 140 galleries from 35 countries to Saadiyat Island from November 19-23, representing a significant expansion from last year's 104 galleries and a remarkable leap from the 40 exhibitors at its inaugural 2009 edition.
Under Nusseibeh's leadership since 2016, the fair has developed several specialized sectors to serve diverse collecting interests. The Collectors Salon focuses on artifacts and historical objects, while the expanded Emerge sector caters to galleries selling works priced under $3,000. This year's Global Focus will highlight modern masters from Nigeria and Turkey, illuminating previously understudied connections between Arab artists and the broader international art world.
The growth reflects Abu Dhabi's broader cultural strategy that has unfolded over the past two decades, involving ambitious institution-building that has drawn global attention and shaped international narratives about the region. "This constellation of museums are finally coming to fruition on Saadiyat, many of which have been in the works for nearly two decades," Nusseibeh explained in a recent interview. "There's been a lot of work on curatorial strategy, acquisitions, knowledge production – all of that has fed into the burgeoning art market in the region in significant ways."
The timing coincides with major changes ahead for the Gulf's art ecosystem. In 2026, Frieze will officially take over Abu Dhabi Art, rebranding it as Frieze Abu Dhabi, while Qatar simultaneously welcomes Art Basel. These developments mark the first branches of both multinational art fair entities in the Gulf Cooperation Council, signaling a new era for the region's cultural landscape.
Nusseibeh attributes the fair's growth to several converging factors, including global geopolitical shifts that have positioned the Gulf as an economically stable region attractive to international galleries seeking new markets. "The Gulf is actually a very stable place, in terms of its economy. There is a lot of investment happening in culture at a time where elsewhere it's slowing down," she noted. The fair now attracts both returning blue-chip galleries like Pace Gallery, Mennour, and Galleria Continua, alongside newcomers such as Richard Saltoun.
The fair has strategically created space for emerging and mid-career galleries to play central roles, both locally and internationally. This approach includes actively encouraging galleries to bring lower-priced works for the region's growing collector base, which includes established serious collectors alongside a expanding group of younger collectors with disposable income who represent the future of the market.
A key component of the strategy involves showcasing under-researched art histories, featuring artists who may be undervalued compared to their global peers. Nusseibeh cited Egyptian surrealist Inji Efflatoun as an example, noting that collectors would pay multiple times more for a European Surrealist of similar standing. This creates opportunities for collectors to acquire modern art from the region or the Global South at more accessible price points.
The fair's partnership with Nigeria exemplifies this approach. Working directly with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, seven Nigerian galleries are participating in this year's Focus sector. One gallery showcases modern works from the Osogbo School of Art, while six others represent emerging and smaller galleries. "Nigeria, like us, is thinking about the creative economy and the benefits of supporting that creative sector's growth," Nusseibeh explained.
Through galleries like Lagos-based kó, Nusseibeh has discovered connections between Nigerian and regional art histories. She highlighted artist Nike Davies-Okundaye, a key figure in the Osogbo School of Art and reportedly Nigeria's first female gallerist, who has provided employment opportunities to 500 women in craft-making. Davies-Okundaye was part of a post-colonial artistic community that created theater backdrops and traveling performances as Nigeria took ownership of its art histories and imagined its future.
Turkey's inclusion in the Global Focus features artist Fahrelnissa Zeid, whose life story embodies connections across the region. Born during the Ottoman Empire, Zeid married and moved to Iraq, participated in Turkey's D Grubu artist collective, and ended her career in Jordan mentoring female artists. The fair will display previously unseen works from private collections, highlighting her role as both a Turkish modern artist and integral figure in the broader regional art narrative.
The fair has also developed the Collectors Salon to showcase works that complement collections at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which has been operating for seven to eight years. Last year, antiquarian book dealer Peter Harrington brought the original manuscript of "Le Petit Prince" with annotations by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, expanding the fair's scope to include manuscripts, antiquities, and artifacts alongside contemporary art.
Nusseibeh's daily responsibilities range from production logistics and gallery layouts to artist conversations and collector outreach. "My favorite thing is talking with artists and curators about what they're showing," she said. The fair's Beyond Emerging Artists program commissions three artists annually to create new work, which travels internationally after its Abu Dhabi debut, with recent exhibitions in Kochi, Hong Kong, and London's Saatchi Gallery.
Since assuming leadership in 2016, Nusseibeh has transformed the fair from a five-day event into a year-round community presence. Initiatives include university talks, the Student Pavilion Prize, and exhibitions at Warehouse421 featuring works under $3,000 to build a base for younger collectors. The fair now attracts approximately 10,000 students, reflecting its commitment to educational engagement and community building.
During the pandemic, the fair pivoted to an online-only format, offering free participation to gallery stakeholders and sending VIP teams to collectors' homes to demonstrate digital viewing rooms. Nusseibeh noted the unique community spirit in Abu Dhabi, where residents take pride in supporting their country's creative economy development.
Looking toward the major changes ahead, Nusseibeh views the arrival of Frieze Abu Dhabi and Art Basel Qatar as marking "a hugely important chapter ahead of us." She anticipates that regional growth will benefit all stakeholders – artists, galleries, and arts professionals – creating more exhibition opportunities and facilitating research and discovery across multiple events.
The transition to Frieze Abu Dhabi represents a shift from the current model of a locally and regionally grounded fair that attracts international participants to deeper integration with global art conversations. Nusseibeh has already begun collaborating with Frieze, including hosting a lounge at Frieze London earlier this month, and praised the organization as "brilliant, lovely, fantastic to work with."
She draws parallels between London's role as a global center for exchange and trade and Abu Dhabi's similar trajectory as a financial center attracting international residents. "Abu Dhabi is going through the same acceleration," she observed, predicting that the fair will play an integral role in the city's continued development as a global art hub.
As the fair prepares for its November opening, Nusseibeh emphasizes its dual role as both a commercial art space and a platform for reflection and research on broader topics. "When they build up the art market, they're also building up that knowledge around different art histories, and critical perspectives on some of the issues that are especially relevant today," she concluded, positioning the fair as a space that offers both market opportunities and intellectual engagement for the international art community.
