Every November, Abu Dhabi Art turns the Saadiyat Cultural District into a focal point for artists, collectors, curators, and visitors, shaping the future of culture in the region. In 2025, the fair enters its 17th edition — its most expansive and strategically defined yet. With more than 140 galleries from over 35 countries, a robust curated program, large-scale commissions, and a series of city-wide activations, Abu Dhabi Art 2025 is less an art fair and more a snapshot of a city deliberately positioning itself at the core of global cultural discourse.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know — what to see, where to go, and how to navigate Saadiyat.

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When: 19–23 November

Time: 14:00–21:00

Where: Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Cultural District

Admission: Free with online registration

As mentioned earlier, this year’s edition brings together more than 140 galleries from over 35 countries, spanning established global spaces and leading regional voices.

From abroad, you will see Pace Gallery, Mennour, Richard Saltoun Gallery, P420, LEE & BAE, and more galleries whose participation usually signals that the market is paying attention.

From the region, ATHR and Hafez Gallery (Jeddah), Saleh Barakat Gallery (Beirut), Dubai-based Gallery Isabelle, Carbon 12, Firetti Contemporary, Tabari Artspace, Efie Gallery, Sevil Dolmaci Gallery, Opera Gallery and others bring a sharper, more grounded view of what is happening across the MENASA scene.

Together, they map out the fair’s core: a mix of blue-chip names, emerging voices, and concept-driven practices that show how diverse — and how serious — the region’s art landscape has become.

Beyond the main gallery halls, the fair also features several curated sections. These parts of the fair trace different histories and conversations that run through the region.

There is a look at Modern Türkiye, which brings together artists who helped shape the country’s modern visual language; a Nigeria Spotlight that shows why Lagos and its galleries — kó, AMG Projects, SOTO — have become such a force on the global scene; and a Gulf Focus that gathers artists from across the GCC who work with ideas of landscape, memory, architecture, and material process. Emerge/Bidaya introduces younger galleries and first-time participants, giving a sense of what the next wave might look like. And the Special Projects section is where the more experimental pieces live — works that don’t quite fit into a booth and aren’t meant to.

Gateway Exhibition: Seeds of Memory

The 2025 Gateway exhibition — always a conceptual anchor for the fair — is curated by artist and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Adjunct Curator ngurambang-ayinya (First Nations) Brook Andrew. This year’s theme centres on migration as both lived reality and collective memory.

Featured artists include: Stolon Press, Leila Shirazi, Natalia Papaeva & BANG ON, Issam Kourbaj, Mohamed Majeed Al Mubarak, Betty Muffler, Nomasmetaforas, Sa Tahanan Collective, and Vincent Namatjira.

The exhibition spans altered objects, performance, video work, textiles, painting, and installation — with each artist examining migration through different lenses: ecological displacement, ancestral narrative, endangered languages, Gulf-based personal memory, First Nations sovereignty, diasporic bonds, and healing as a form of cultural continuity.

Gateway’s conceptual ambition this year lies in its positioning of migration not solely as trauma, but also as ceremony and renewal — aligning with the UAE’s broader interest in global movement, transnational identity, and cultural hybridity.

ATHR Gallery × Mennour Collaboration

A rare cross-continental partnership, Saudi Arabia’s ATHR Gallery and Paris-based Mennour join forces to present a cohesive curatorial statement centred on materiality, transformation, and the evolving Saudi art scene.

At the centre is Mohammad AlFaraj’s new installation: an immersive grove of charcoal-drawn palm trunks referencing the agricultural landscapes of Al-Ahsa. Around it unfolds a material dialogue through works by Sara Abdu, Zahrah Alghamdi, Nasser Al Salem, Asma Bahmim, Ayman Yossri Daydban, and Sultan Bin Fahad — spanning ink on wood, natural pigments, burned and embroidered leather, warped metal, glass, and found mirrors.

The presentation reflects the dualities shaping Saudi contemporary art today: industrial vs. organic, memory vs. reconstruction, spirituality vs. material experimentation. Just as importantly, it signals a strengthened cultural line between Riyadh and Paris, with both galleries positioning the collaboration as part of a broader cross-cultural exchange rather than a simple joint booth.

Evident Presence: A Community of Care — NMSS Installation

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) brings one of this year’s most unexpected and emotionally grounded presentations. Evident Presence, curated by Dirwaza Curatorial Lab and produced by Triplets on Set, translates the lived experiences of people with multiple sclerosis into a multisensory environment.

The installation includes a video portrait of five individuals navigating movement, stillness, and bodily awareness, and a series of live performances and readings developed with UAE-based artists.

By foregrounding stories often rendered invisible by the nature of MS, the project reframes illness, community, and care as part of the cultural narrative of the UAE.

Artist Commissions in Cultural Sites (Al Ain)

This year, Abu Dhabi Art extends its public commissions to Al Ain, inviting artists to respond to archaeological and ecological landscapes.

Participating artists: Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh & Hesam Rahmanian, Nike Davies-Okundaye, Issam Kourbaj

At Hili Archaeological Park, the Haerizadeh–Rahmanian trio presents Luminous Shadow, a sculptural work exploring the visual fluidity of Arabic and Pahlavi scripts — situating contemporary art within one of the UAE’s most important Bronze Age sites.

At Al Ain Oasis, Nike Davies-Okundaye debuts a large-scale textile installation drawing from Yoruba theatre backdrops and the ecology of palm trees — a subtle dialogue between Nigerian heritage and Emirati landscape.

Across several sites, including Al Qattara Oasis, Issam Kourbaj installs camera obscuras that invite visitors to experience Al Ain as both a spring (“ain”) and an eye — merging perception, light, and historical memory.