2024 Talks

Curators, artists and academics discuss varied topics at the fair. Guest speakers and panelists, including participants in Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennale and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, alongside an array of local and international speakers.

20, 21 and 23 | 11 | 2024
2 – 7 PM
Auditorium, Manarat Al Saadiyat

Thoughts on Cultural Diplomacy presented by Farjam Foundation

Moderator: Dr. Mariët Westermann, Director and CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
Speakers: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, chairman of UAE Unlimited | Manuel Rabaté, Louvre Abu Dhabi Director | His Excellency Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to the President of the UAE and the Chancellor of UAE University

Wednesday 20 | 11 | 2024
2:00-2:45 PM 
English Language

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Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in conversation with Mohammed Kazem

Moderator: Sara Bin Safwan, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Curator
Speaker: Mohammed Kazem, Abu Dhabi Art Visual Campaign Artist

Wednesday 20 | 11 | 2024
3:00-3:45 PM
English Language

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Reimagining Public Painting presented by Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennale

Moderator: Reem Fadda, Culture Programming Department Director at Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Speakers: Mohamed Al Astad, artist | Oscar Murillo, artist | Radhika Khimji, artist

Wednesday 20 | 11 | 2024
5:15-5:45 PM 
English Language

Artists Mohamed Al Astad, Oscar Murillo, and Radhika Khimji provide spaces of respite amid Abu Dhabi’s fast-paced landscape: Al Astad’s shading structures carry the traces of the city’s beaches, Murillo’s vast stretch of linen along the Abu Dhabi Corniche provides a meditative vista, and Khimji’s image-laden billboard offers both a façade and portal into another place. While different in form, each installation is rooted in migration and heritage. Through these works, the artists discuss how art offers insight into shaping urban space and addressing community needs. 

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The Development of An Art History in the UAE: An Art Not Made to Be Understood

Moderator: Sophie Kazan Makhlouf, art consultant, journalist, curator and lecturer
Speakers: Salwa Mikdadi, art historian, curator and educator | Afra Al Dhaheri, artist 

Wednesday 20 | 11 | 2024
4:00-4:45 PM 
English Language

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The Farjam Collection

Moderator & Speaker: Morad Montazami, curator of Arab Presences. Modern Art and Decolonisation, Paris 1908-1988 - Farjam Collection Close-Up
Speaker: Nada Shabout, Professor of art history and coordinator of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Initiative at the University of North Texas

Thursday 21 | 11 | 2024
2:00-2:45 PM 
English Language

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In conversation Maya Allison and Nike Davies-Okundaye

Speakers: Maya Allison, Executive Director of the Art Galleries at New York University Abu Dhabi | Nike Davies-Okundaye, Ko gallery artist

Thursday 21 | 11 | 2024
3:00-3:45 PM 
English Language

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Identity and Reshaping Public Space presented by Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennale

Moderator: Alia Zaal Lootah, Abu Dhabi Public Art curator
Speakers: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Sfeir-Semler Gallery artist | Nicholas Galanin, artist | Zeinab Al Hashemi, artist

Thursday 21 | 11 | 2024
4:00-4:45 PM 
English Language

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The Desert as an Imaginary Landscape

Moderator: Nicolas Bellavance–Lecompte, Curator of "Carthagism" at "Lamia Bousnina Gallery"
Speakers: Kwame Mintah, Efie Gallery co-owner | Louis Barthélemy, Lamia Bousnina Gallery artist

Thursday 21 | 11 | 2024
5:00-5:45 PM 
English Language

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We are All Open Circuits: 1984–2024 The Fading Fortunes of Network Utopianism presented by ADMAF and KOFICE

Moderator: Maya El Khalil, curator 
Speakers: Dr. Namhee Park, Director, Nam June Paik Art Center | Bjungjun Kwon, Artist | Ayoung Kim, Artist | Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Artist

Thursday 21 | 11 | 2024
6:00-6:45 PM 
English Language

The Talk will explore the artist's groundbreaking work and its impact on contemporary art. The curators will provide insights into Paik’s influential practice, highlighting his pioneering role in performance and technology-based work.
In partnership with the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) and the Nam June Paik Art Center. Powered by GS Energy.

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FBMI - Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative

Moderator: Asma Siddiq Al Mutawa, Founder and President of the Forum Salon
Speaker: Dr. Najat Makki, artist

Friday 22 | 11 | 2024
3:00-3:45 PM 
Arabic Language

Dr. Najat Makki will be discussing her two latest artworks, Whispers of Words—relating to U.A.E. sustainability, and Rhythm of the Land—describing her own feelings about the Palestinian Cause. This is the first time that Dr. Najat Makki explores her art in the form of hand-knotted carpets, knotted by Zuleya—a sustainable social enterprise by FBMI, the Fatima bint Mohamed bin Zayed Initiative.

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Sociocultural Contexts and Public Art presented by Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennale

Moderator: Mariet Westermann, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Speakers: Afra Al Dhaheri, Green Art Gallery artist | Bjørnstjerne Christiansen, SUPERFLEX

Friday 22 | 11 | 2024
4:00-4:45 PM 
English Language

This panel involves artists whose work connects us within cities. Bjørnstjerne Christiansen (SUPERFLEX) speaks about interspecies relationships and gathering spaces for humans and other species. Afra Al Dhaheri explains how her work fosters sensory engagement, promoting balance amid modern life's overstimulation. 

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Craft as a Language in partnership with ADMAF

Moderator: Chinasa Ezugha, Assistant Arts Professor of Live Art, NYUAD
Speakers: Ayesha Hadhir, ADMAF artist | Meherunnisa Asad, 81 design artist | Sara Al Khayyal, 1971 design artist

Friday 22 | 11 | 2024
5:00-5:45 PM 
English Language

This panel explore the idea of craft as a form of language—how diverse craft practices, ranging from visual arts and textiles to woodworking, ceramics, and beyond, function as powerful tools for communication and self-expression. Focusing on their work presented at Abu Dhabi Art, panelists will discuss how their craft transcends technical skill to become a rich, nuanced form of storytelling. Through the lens of their various disciplines, we will explore how craft communicates to both the maker and the viewer, conveying personal narratives, cultural histories, and complex ideas. Each panelist will introduce their work and creative process, while also sharing insights into the role collaboration has played in shaping their practice and artistic vision.

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Practices of Art Making presented by New York Abu Dhabi University

Moderator: Karl Kalinkewicz, Head of Graduate Recruitment at NYU Abu Dhabi
Speakers: Professor Terri Geis, Co-Director of the MFA in Art and Media | Nour Elbery, MFA Student | Danutė Vaitekūnaitė, MFA Student

Friday 22 | 11 | 2024
6:00-6:45 PM 
English Language

The talk will explore the craft of art making as a language through the following topics: 1) The way in which it communicates and translates in different contexts. 2) The question of process and time in art making. 3) How the crafts associated with making art are both visible and hidden within artworks. 4) The particular craft of using visual languages in art.

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