Abu Dhabi’s independent art scene lies in limbo at the moment. The reason for this can be found within the walls of Emirates Palace in the shape of the Saadiyat Island exhibition, a series of scale models foreshadowing the arrival of ‘culture’ in the capital. In the meantime, while government-sponsored exhibitions whet our appetites for the coming renaissance, the city awaits something which any flourishing local art scene thrives on: guile. Meet Emily Doherty.
‘There is a large cultural government footprint here, but there is very little in the way of independent entrepreneurs. We have some great galleries, who are making a stirring effort to forge ahead and create an art scene, but they need support. They don’t really get a look-in in terms of the bigger cultural vision that Abu Dhabi has.’
Emily has lived in the capital for the past three years. She is an art teacher at Zayed University, but she has also worked with Art Dubai and was recently involved in Dubai’s own fringe art festival, the Bastakiya Art Fair.
‘When I came back, I felt that there was a need for a fringe art scene here in Abu Dhabi. It needs a young, cool, zeitgeisty scene, and the way to do that is to provide a form in which the smaller galleries and those across the UAE can exhibit in Abu Dhabi at the same time as Art Paris.’
That might be a problem, however. Chances are that Art Paris, the capital’s high-end art fair, might well be off the menu this year, but that needn’t dampen things, says Emily. ‘There are lots of fringe festivals around the world which are entirely independent.’ She’s right, of course: Edinburgh and Sydney are just two that spring to mind, but they didn’t begin that way. Nevertheless Emily remains defiant: ‘Even if it doesn’t have anything to be a fringe of, it will be something in its own right,’ she affirms, and we believe her.
At the moment, Fringe Abu Dhabi, the capital’s first ever independent art fair, is still in the sketching phase, but it is enough to get the artistic blood pumping.
‘There are certain galleries who we’d love to see showing their roster of artists, from Cairo to Lebanon, Tehran and so on. But the focus for us will really be to make sure that artists and galleries within the UAE can exhibit at the same time.’
Around the main fair there will also be a number of ‘fringe’ events, including a fully curated film exhibition and Mini Fringe, a workshop run by the Dubai-based charity Start, which puts together children’s art classes run by professional artists. Other planned events are Fringe Education, a series of informal meet-the-artists-style workshops, and the Fringe Art Bus, which will go around the local community to universities and schools, as well as attending lectures. There will also be an intern programme, inviting young artists to work on the fair. ‘There are a lot of things we want to create around it to get people involved for the full week,’ confirms Emily.
Those involved are naturally friends, colleagues and professional artists she has met in the UAE. Importantly, these include Mizmah, an Abu Dhabi group of recent graduates from Zayed University who have formed an art collective. They are part of the team and will shepherd the professional curators working across the event. ‘I really want this experience to be about them and people like them,’ says Emily. ‘It’s all about education.’
Fringe Abu Dhabi is planned for November, but already things are taking shape. A pavilion is being designed, although when and where to put it are still pressing questions. Sponsorship is also an ongoing issue, something which is integral when you take away government money and go truly independent. But Emily remains optimistic.
‘I’m hoping that once we’ve kicked off this first year, however we do it, however we make it happen, it will obviously build from there.’ Her drive is admirable, as is her concern for the city’s art scene, and our conversation ends with a few words of caution.
‘I worked in a gallery in London, and I was a producer before that. I came here thinking it takes people being a bit gutsy, a bit entrepreneurial and sticking their neck out and saying, “We want to make this happen.” Otherwise, Abu Dhabi is not going to have a scene in five years’ time.’
Fringe Abu Dhabi is set to take place in November. Visit www.fringeabudhabi.com for more information.
