Top things to do at Abu Dhabi Art Fair 2021

Abu Dhabi Art Fair returns to Manarat Al Saadiyat in full swing for its 13th edition from the 17 – 21 November 2021, with a diverse and accessible public engagement programme, that has something for everyone.

Opening from 4-9 PM GST on 17 November and from 1-9 PM GST on 18 – 21 November, visitors are in for an exciting experience of art, music, workshops and activities.

Art collectors and lovers can buy and view art from 49 established and emerging galleries from 19 different countries, discover artists, and enjoy an engaging public performance programme. In addition to the physical fair experience, artworks from Abu Dhabi Art are also available for viewing and sale on the fair’s online platform.

Tickets are AED55 for adults, covering all five days of the fair, and complimentary for children below seven years of age, students, People of Determination, and senior citizens. The tickets are available for purchase on the Abu Dhabi Art website.

Workshops for everyone:

The fair’s insightful Educational Programme has something for everyone. Children, teens, and adults can sign up for stimulating art workshops, artist-led masterclasses. Visit our website to learn more about this year’s schedule.

• School workshops (tours) will take place between 9AM – 1PM GST on 17, 18 and 21 November. The session duration is 30min with three activities inspired by artists participating in the fair. Through the workshops, students can discover print making or abstract assemblage. The cost per session is AED25.
• 3 – 5yrs old Drop-in workshops 1 – 8 PM GST are open on 17 November through 21 November, for children and adults to conduct a series of self-led art activities inspired by artworks at the fair. The cost per session is AED30.
• 6 – 12 yrs. old: Hands-on art activities workshops daily during the fair for an hour and a half per session. Workshops are open between 1 – 8PM GST on 17 November through 21 November.
• Artist-led masterclasses are available for both adults and teens (ages 13+). All art activities and masterclasses take inspiration from works seen at Abu Dhabi Art. The cost per session for both virtual and in person participations is AED150.

Abu Dhabi Art complimentary fair tours:

Experience the fair through educational and interactive guided tours led by a visitor experience specialist. Tours are available both virtually and in-person in Arabic and English. In person tours runs daily during the fair, every hour, for 1 hour between 1 – 8PM GST.

Electronic and Alternative music concert by 2ND SUN

Abu Dhabi Art and Factory People are collaborating this year to bring 2ND SUN to Abu Dhabi Art. 2ND SUN is hosting regional and global music artists for its club nights. Enjoy a great line up of LIVE performances, DJ sets and futuristic productions on 18 and 19 November 2021 from 6PM – 3AM GST at Manarat Al Saadiyat, with your Abu Dhabi Art Fair ticket.

The music event is open to people aged 21 and above, who are double vaccinated, have a green pass on Al Hosn app, and can show a 96-hour PCR test. Due to limited capacity permitted, access to 2ND SUN events will be on a first come, first serve basis.

Unique Performances

Curated by Rose Lejeune, the fair’s Performance Programme this year will brings together four new commissioned works that will take place by Louise Hervé & Clovis Maillet, Mays Albaik, Rand Abdul Jabbar and Super Taus, who are each offering an abstract and poetic experience this year.

Two-part art installation at the fair and across cultural sites in the emirate

Abu Dhabi Art’s Beyond: Artist Commissions programme this year showcases five new art commissions, by artists Aya Haidar, Hazem Harb, Dr. Najat Makki, Rasheed Araeen and Richard Atugonza with works being shown in cultural sites throughout the capital. The artists’ works will remain on view to the public until 22 January 2022. All the artworks are

• Aya Haidar’s new commissioned work titled, Dwelling On The Past, is on display in Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain, and as part of In & Around Highly Strung is on display at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
• Hazem Harb will be presenting his new work titled, Between Earth and Heaven: Borders are Only in our Minds, at Manarat Al Saadiyat and Jebel Hafeet Desert Park in Al Ain.
• Dr. Najat Makki will be showing here new large-scale commissioned work titled, Ya Marhaba Al Saa’, at the entrance to Manarat Al Saadiyat and at the Al Ain Oasis.
• Rasheed Araeen’s new commissioned work and communal café made of eight gazebos which are joined together in a square, titled, Shamiyaana Abu Dhabi, will be open to the public at the entrance of Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation between 12 – 2PM GST throughout the duration of the fair. Araeen will also be showing his work titled, The Greatness of Allah (2021), as part of the In & Around sector at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
• Richard Atugonza’s new commissioned work titled, At Heart but Far, is on display at Manarat Al Saadiyat and Jebel Hafeet Desert Park.

More installations…

See Passage by Emirati artists Nujoom Al Ghanem

From Venice to Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and the National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia, Abu Dhabi Art is showcasing Passage, a seminal installation by artist Nujoom Alghanem created for National Pavilion UAE at the 2019 Venice Biennale, as part of the fair’s annual Gateway sector.

Passage is an immersive, 26-minute, two-channel video and twelve-channel sound installation that explores the universal experience of displacement.

For more information about Abu Dhabi Art 2021 and its year-round programmes, visit abudhabiart.ae and follow Abu Dhabi Art on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.