Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed tours captivating Abu Dhabi Art show

The chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office took in the displays at Manarat Al Saadiyat

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Abu Dhabi Art came to a close on Saturday night as Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed toured the captivating exhibition.

The Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office and patron of the art fair was joined by Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, and Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art.

Sheikh Khalid met with curators and artists contributing to the exhibition's cultural programme.

Now in its 11th edition, the art fair features participation from esteemed galleries, artists and curators from around the world, as well as emerging local talent.

In addition to the commercial aspect of the fair, the event offers specially-commissioned installations, curated exhibitions, and a full public programme of talks, workshops, performances and other activations, state news agency Wam reported.

Abu Dhabi Art’s agenda goes beyond the annual four-day fair, with 2019 witnessing its most extensive programme to date. Featured exhibitions, including the Gateway and Beyond: Emerging Artists exhibitions, will remain open after Saturday, running into early 2020.

The annual exhibition Beyond sees large-scale sculptures and installations displayed across the emirate. One branch of this extended off-site programme is Beyond: Artist Commissions, which has returned with three commissions in Al Ain.

The commissioned 2019 artists are Leandro Erlich and Oliver Beer, whose works were unveiled upon the opening of the fair and will be exhibited for two months afterwards.

The second part of Beyond is the Beyond: Emerging Artists initiative, this year curated by Rokni Haerizadeh, Ramin Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian. The three selected artists – Ayesha Hadhir, Rawdha Khalifa Al Ketbi and Shaikha Fahad Al Ketbi – have undertaken a year-long project culminating in the realisation of a new art work or project which was unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art on Saturday.

Those works will also remain on display for two months after the fair.