Art Dubai 2025 in the Press

Art Dubai is the leading voice of the region’s cultural scene, offering an international platform to its artistic community. The 2025 edition of the fair was covered in over 4000 articles by media from 50 countries – find highlight coverage below:

“The number of fair visitors was astronomical, with many coming to the Emirates or even the Middle East for the first time, lured by growing interest in the scene, and two vast curatorial trips. And for Arab and South Asian curators, collectors, artists and art world professionals, the fair has retained its focal position.”

“the beating heart of an international platform dedicated to galleries and artists from underrepresented regions… Art Dubai has been pivotal in catalyzing global exchanges and careers for Global South artists.”

“The prospects for Dubai as an interesting art hotspot in the Middle East and its Art Dubai fair couldn’t be better.”

“The great advantage of Dubai is the internationality that is in its DNA. Our aim is to serve this diversity.”

“[Art Dubai is] a fair that not only reflects the present moment but also questions it, visually, politically, and emotionally. [It] isn’t simply keeping pace with global discourse, it’s actively shaping where it goes next.”

“On the VIP day, the sprawling venue’s halls pulsed with anticipation as throngs of collectors bustled through the fair from morning until sundown. As the U.A.E. continues to grow as an art hub, the fair is well-positioned to further bolster its standing in a country that is drawing new galleries and collectors.”

“From championing the Global South to reimagining digital frontiers, Art Dubai has evolved into a year-round platform shaping the UAE’s cultural infrastructure—while helping reframe global art narratives.”

“Since its establishment in 2007, Art Dubai has grown to become a pivoting force in the city’s art scene.”

“As Art Dubai 2025 approaches, the fair stands as a testament to the city’s unwavering commitment to the arts, creativity, and innovation, ensuring its place as a global cultural powerhouse. ”

“Art Dubai spotlights the Global South in a way that no other fair does”

The Art Newspaper

“Perfect match: Art Dubai meets high-tech and heritage”

“We grow, by helping others… is the essence of the fair”

Tagesspiegel

“It was the art fair’s biggest and most global edition yet, signaling the sprawling Gulf metropolis, known for its glistening ever expanding skyrises, as one of the world’s next major capitals for art and culture.”

Artnet

“Dubai is not a “mini Art Basel” … The value, the meaning of this unique fair is different: since 2007, Art Dubai has developed into the platform of the Global South, into the showcase and laboratory for art from the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and the Menasa region… Those who come here make surprising, sometimes delightful discoveries. Art Dubai is therefore also a constantly changing mirror of the Middle East, because its face changes almost every day.”

Die Zeit

“The art community in various parts of the Global South … often faces challenges that can result in a lack of infrastructure to support artistic development. Art Dubai has in recent years tapped into these regions, exposing such artists to galleries and collectors from the world over.”

CNN

“West Asia’s most significant art fair… {Art Dubai} is the “bawwaba” – or gateway – the industry needs.”

The Hindu

“The plus of Art Dubai: It does not repeat the eternally same image of fairs like “Frieze” or “Art Basel”. The fair services both the “expats” in the city and caters to international visitors from all over the world.”

Handelsblatt

“{Dubai} is developing into an international marketplace for both classical and – above all – digital art.”

Neue Zürcher Zeitung

“Art Dubai comes into its own… While London and New York obsess over diversity, Dubai has no need to. It has long been gathering artists that the art world of the West might not know and in so doing shows that there is a point to art fairs that goes beyond mere commerce.”

Apollo

“I’ve never seen a more broad-ranging selection of new media art… Dubai’s rapid rise… To a thriving cosmopolis has demonstrated a unique character. The city-state’s success has been predicated on strong, entrepreneurial leadership… {and} … public facilities and infrastructure.”

The Sydney Morning Herald

“With startups and foundations exhibiting alongside galleries, Art Dubai Digital proposes another model for the art fair, and myriad possibilities for digital art’s place in culture.”