This article is part of the Artnet Intelligence Report, The Year Ahead 2025. Our analysis of the second half of the year’s market trends provides a data-driven overview of the current state of the art world, highlighting auction results and trends, and spotlights the evolving tastes in a turbulent market.
Your role at Art Dubai Group is newly created. What does it entail? How does your experience in the Asia-Pacific—as director of Artspace in Sydney and curator of Art Basel Hong Kong’s Encounters section—inform your approach to a different region?
My two decades of experience working with institutions, galleries, curators, and artists in the Asia-Pacific have reinforced for me the importance of understanding context, collaborating with stakeholders on their own terms, and ensuring that institutions foster genuine connection rather than just visibility. Entering a new region requires deep listening.
While I have long engaged with industry players in the Middle East, this is my first time living and working here. My priority is to learn—to understand the contributions of institutions, foundations, and cultural leaders shaping the region and to contribute to their ongoing evolution.
What excites you most about the Middle Eastern art world today?
One defining characteristic is the long-term commitment to culture. Institutions like the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the Jameel Arts Centre, and the Sharjah Art Foundation have developed deep infrastructural and intellectual frameworks, steadily expanding their influence.
Cross-cultural engagement is another key element. The Middle East has long been a meeting place for ideas and influences. Art Dubai exemplifies this—it’s agile and dynamic, providing a platform for galleries, collectors, and institutions to collaborate. This isn’t about the international art world “discovering” the region but recognizing the sustained efforts of those working across borders for years. There’s also a shift toward a broader understanding of cultural leadership. Investment isn’t just in infrastructure but in ideas that prioritize knowledge production and long-term impact. This is evident in commissioning programs, acquisitions, and residencies fostering deeper engagement with artistic practices rather than just filling exhibition cycles.
Given global economic uncertainties, do you expect the region to play an even greater role in attracting talent and expanding opportunities?
Countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have prioritized culture in national development strategies, but impact depends on sustained engagement. The scale of these initiatives is significant, but the key is building frameworks that allow them to thrive. It’s not just about attracting talent or expanding exhibitions but about creating conditions where institutions and cultural organizations develop substantive, reciprocal relationships.
A visitor to Art Dubai—the leading art fair in the Gulf region—admires a digital installation by
new-media studio Ouchhh. Photo by Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images for Art Dubai Fair FZ LLC.
There’s also a distinct ambition to rethink cultural infrastructure, institutional models, and creative ecosystems. This isn’t just about building spaces but about fostering frameworks that ensure long-term impact, intellectual exchange, and sustainable growth. My role at Art Dubai Group is part of that evolving vision—to be engaged, active, and responsive to the shifting cultural landscape, facilitating meaningful connections among institutions, galleries, and organizations. The region is reimagining what a globally engaged cultural landscape looks like, ensuring that its impact isn’t measured by visibility alone but also by depth of participation and exchange.
How can meaningful exchange ensure that homegrown artists gain visibility on the global stage?
Visibility is only one part of the equation. The real work lies in sustained support structures—acquisitions, residencies, publishing, and collaborations that allow cultural leaders to develop on their own terms rather than being defined by external expectations. Art Dubai and its initiatives have amplified regional perspectives through curated sectors, commissions, and programs like the Dubai Collection and the Global Art Forum.
What matters is fostering professional development and cultural leadership grounded in the aspirations of the local community. The starting point is always the people and institutions within the region—those who have cultivated and sustained its cultural ecosystem. Investing in mentorship, knowledge sharing, and capacity building fosters an environment where artistic and cultural practices evolve in ways that are both locally rooted and globally connected.
Art Dubai 2023 featuring Mario Mauroner. © Cedric Ribeiro for Getty Images.
What are the biggest challenges for those exploring the region’s art scene, and how can they be addressed?
There’s no singular entry point—each country and city has a distinct history, network, and infrastructure. A key challenge is ensuring clear pathways for engagement, where people can access information, connect with institutions, and feel invited to participate rather than just pass through. Art Dubai Group, alongside its partners, is well-positioned to address this, especially given Dubai’s status as a global transit hub. Millions pass through each year—how do we extend their engagement beyond a brief visit? How do we create platforms that invite deeper participation through research, commissions, or public programming?
Cultural ecosystems require ongoing investment—not just financial but in time, relationships, and care. The Middle East is home to extraordinary institutions, galleries, collectors, and cultural leaders who have shaped its artistic landscape. My role is to contribute in a way that is respectful, engaged, and rooted in the realities of the region. Art Dubai Group’s strength lies in its ability to convene, connect, and build platforms that are expansive, ambitious, and, above all, meaningful.
