Nadia Gerazouni, gallery director at The Breeder, Greece.
On a global scale, how important do you think the Abu Dhabi Art fair is becoming?
The Breeder gallery has established a strong international profile through its participation in the most important art fairs both in Europe and the USA. We had never, until now, exhibited in the Middle East. ADA is the perfect platform to introduce the gallery and its programme to a select audience in the region, as Abu Dhabi is turning into a major art hub in the area. The geographical proximity and strong cultural links between Greece and the Middle East are also key elements that could not be neglected. For ADA we chose to present three very dynamic artists from our program; Los Angeles-based Mindy Shapero, Athens-based Antonis Donef and Zurich-based Shirana Shahbazi.
What unique challenges do you face catering to such a different market?
Art has a universal language, so we never distinguish between different audiences. The three artists we are presenting come from completely different backgrounds and use different media but they all use techniques that are extremely labour intensive and create a very personal cosmos, abstract and chaotic but also undeniably universal and poetic.
What advice would you give to young collectors?
Our advice for young collectors is to be informed by keeping up to date with the international art scene through visiting galleries and museum shows and reading relevant magazines. When starting a collection it is important to collaborate with galleries that operate on a global scale and help their represented artists build an international career. The bottom line though is for collectors to stay true to their instincts and the things that they like and buy with their heart.
How have you found the response from the public?
We just participated in Frieze Art Fair in London where our presentation included works by Antonis Donef, Shirana Shahbazi and Mindy Shapero and the response we had to all three artists was tremendous. Among the visitors of the fair who we talked to was a significant amount of people from the UAE and other Arab countries, so we’re excited to be introducing The Breeder for the first time to the region with our participation at ADA.
As for what will be unique in regards to our participation in Abu Dhabi Art this year, we’ll be presenting works by Shirana Shahbazi who is currently exhibiting in the show ‘New Photography 2012’ at MOMA, New York, which is curated by Eva Respini, associate curator at MOMA’s photography department.
Elisabeth Lalouschek, Artistic Director of October Gallery, London
On a global scale, how important do you think Abu Dhabi Art is becoming?
I think that Abu Dhabi Art is a very interesting fair as it is compact in size with a good selection of galleries, both international and local. It also hosts a highly interesting talks programme. I think it will become increasingly important on a global scale, and this is certainly one of the reasons why we are participating again this year.
What unique challenges do you face catering to an Arabic and expatriate market?
From a commercial perspective, to find the right balance between art from the Middle East and other parts of the world. Sales tend to focus slightly more on Middle Eastern artists, but we have also been successful in selling works by artists from Asia and Africa.
What advice would you give gallery owners coming to the region for the first time?
To come with an open mind and a range of different artists.
What’s the response from the public been like?
The response is enthusiastic. During the last fair there was a lot of engagement with the art we exhibited.
Lorenzo Fiaschi, one of the three owners of Galleria Continua, Italy.
How important is Abu Dhabi Art becoming?
We have observed that the fair has increased over the past four years and we trust it will become more and more important. Many leading art galleries from across the world are taking part it and this is a good sign.
What’s been your experience of dealing with the Arabic and expatriate market?
We have had good experiences with the Arabic market and with Arabic culture. For a long time we have taken part in Art Dubai and we took part in Marrakech Art Fair too. We like the great energy and enthusiasm we can find in these countries, we like to exchange with them, it’s a way to grow from every point of view. People we met always showed a big interest in our proposal and in the artists we have presented.
What sort of response have you had from the public so far?
This is the first edition we’ve done over here but we’re hoping it will be very positive and encouraging.
