Curators Announced for Art Dubai 2026

Art Dubai 2026 introduces an expanded gallery programme as it marks 20 years in the region; Galleries, Zamaniyyat, Bawwaba and Bawwaba Extended, and Art Dubai Digital.

The main Galleries section will invite applications from both the contemporary and modern markets, as Art Dubai Modern evolves into Zamaniyyat. The programme will introduce a new section, Bawwaba Extended, and launches the Bawwaba Gallery Support Programme, while Art Dubai Digital will explore new market models, inviting applications from artists, galleries, collectives, and studios.

Over the past two decades, Art Dubai has distinguished itself by foregrounding regional practices within global contexts. Art Dubai 2026 will continue to cultivate a culture of discovery alongside this year’s selected curators.

From left to right: Sarah Rifky (curator of Zamaniyyat), Amal Khalaf (curator of Bawwaba and co-curator of Bawwaba Extended), Ulrich Schrauth and Nadine Khalil (curators of Art Dubai Digital)

Art Dubai 2026: Gallery sections and curators

Art Dubai Galleries welcomes applications from established commercial galleries that have been operating for a minimum of two years and, for the first time, invites applications within both the Contemporary and Modern markets.

Curated sections

Zamaniyyat | زمانيات (from zaman, the Arabic word for ‘time’), is a dedicated platform featuring solo and group presentations that revisit the work of artists who shaped and reshaped modernisms throughout the 20th century in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The selected curator is Dr. Sarah A. Rifky, a curator, writer, and art historian who has held curatorial, founding, and leadership roles internationally, including with Townhouse, documenta 13, and Beirut, which she co-founded in Cairo (2012–2015).

Bawwaba | بوابة (meaning gateway in Arabic) serves as a portal to the discovery of solo presentations of newly produced work, offering a platform for emerging to mid-career artists. The selected curator is Amal Khalaf, curator and artist who serves as Director of Programmes at Cubitt, and who co-curated the Sharjah Biennial 16 and Ghost 2568 in Bangkok.

Galleries selected for the Bawwaba section will be eligible for the Bawwaba Gallery Support Programme, a new initiative introducing a risk sharing model to support participants in the 2026 edition of the fair.

Bawwaba Extended is a new artist-focused platform dedicated to interdisciplinary artistic practices. Spanning the entire fair campus, Bawwaba Extended, curated in collaboration with Amal Khalaf and Alexie Glass-Kantor, Executive Director, Curatorial, Art Dubai Group, will transform the site into a dynamic space for experimentation and innovation through installations, digital media, moving image, sound, and public interventions.

Art Dubai Digital is the leading platform for digital art in an art fair context, bringing together visionary artists, galleries, studios, and collectives reshaping the digital landscape. The selected curators are Ulrich Schrauth, a curator and creative director in the field of immersive media and digital art, serving as the Artistic Director of the UBS Digital Art Museum in Hamburg, and Nadine Khalil, independent art critic and curator who collaborates with contemporary artists exploring performance, environment, and technology.

Find out more information about Art Dubai 2025 Applications, here.

ABOUT THE CURATORS

Sarah A. Rifky, PhD, is a curator, writer, and art historian whose work explores the afterlives of modernism, cultural infrastructures, and critical historiography across the global majority. She has held curatorial, founding, and leadership roles in Egypt, the United States, and internationally including with Townhouse, documenta 13, and Beirut (the art space she co-founded). She engages art as a site of political inquiry, pedagogical exchange, and critical play.

Amal Khalaf, a curator and artist whose practice spans contemporary art, civic engagement, and institutional transformation. She is Director of Programmes at Cubitt (London) and previously served as Civic Curator at the Serpentine Galleries. Khalaf co-curated Sharjah Biennial 16 and Ghost 2568 in Bangkok, curated the Bahrain Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale (2019), and co-directed the Global Art Forum at Art Dubai (2016). She is a trustee of Mophradat (Athens) and not/nowhere (London), and a founding member of the GCC art collective.

Ulrich Schrauth is a curator and creative director in the field of immersive media, renowned for his innovative approach to art and technology. As the Artistic Director of the UBS Digital Art Museum in Hamburg and founder of VRHAM! Biennale, he is at the forefront of shaping digital art experiences. Working between Hamburg and London, he also leads the Immersive Programme at the British Film Institute (BFI) and serves on the Arts and Creative Industries Advisory Board for the British Council.

Nadine Khalil is an art critic and curator whose work engages with performance, environment, and technology. Khalil edited The Arts Center: Building a Performing Arts Community on Saadiyat Island, 2023, published by New York University Abu Dhabi and was the former editor of Dubai-based contemporary art magazine, Canvas (2017-2020). Khalil has written for major publications including Artforum, Frieze, and The Art Newspaper.