Guggenheim architect Gehry joins Abu Dhabi Art festival line-up

The programme also includes exhibitions, film screenings in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation, more than 10 live performances and book launches.

The Canadian architect Frank Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, will take part in this year’s arts festival.
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ABU DHABI // Dozens of world-renowned artists, designers and architects will take part in more than 20 panel discussions and interviews in Abu Dhabi Art's public programme when it begins on November 7.

Frank Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, will join about 50 others for events at the UAE Pavilion and Manarat Al Saadiyat.

Others taking part include the Iraqi visual artist Adel Abidin, the Indian contemporary artist Bharti Kher, and the Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic, who will appear for the first time in the Middle East.

"Abu Dhabi is the new meeting place for the art world, evident from the calibre of speakers this year's programme welcomes," said Rita Aoun-Abdo, executive director of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, which is organising the art fair in its fourth year.

The programme also includes exhibitions, film screenings in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation, more than 10 live performances and book launches.

The Arab rock band Autostrad and electronic music and art collective Noise of Art will play live.

Art Zone, a dedicated space for children, will host workshops and games.

Abu Dhabi Art will introduce a Design Platform where "contemporary design and craft techniques come together as a celebration of both traditional skill and visionary thinking".

The Dubai artist UBIK will join other artists to create works and host workshops and storytelling performances.

"Abu Dhabi Art's 2012 Design Platform sets out to highlight and distinguish an understanding of the innate aesthetics of the UAE through the study, exploration, experimentation and promotion of the roots of Emirati creativity - a design aesthetic based on transient states, freedom of movement, mobility and constant change," Ms Aoun-Abdo said.

All events and programmes are free and open to the public.