Art Dubai has postponed its 2026 fair from April to May 14–17, shifting to an "adapted format" at its usual venue, the Madinat Jumeirah resort. The fair, a cornerstone of the Middle Eastern art scene, will proceed with a more focused model, featuring galleries from over thirty-five countries but altering its financial structure, with participating galleries paying a percentage of sales instead of standard booth fees.
Brazilian artist Vânia Quintão is offering her 2023 painting "Cold Afternoon" for sale through Inn Gallery. The acrylic-on-canvas work, sized 70 × 100 cm, depicts a suspended, cool-toned landscape under a diffuse blue sky. Quintão, a self-described cultural producer and fundraiser based in Belo Horizonte, has exhibited internationally including at the Louvre Museum in Paris and won prizes at The Holly Art Exhibition (London) and Art Connects Women (Dubai). The work is hand-signed, includes a certificate of authenticity, and is priced at US$1,500.
Jean-David Malat, founder of JD Malat Gallery, opened a new outpost in Downtown Dubai in early 2025, expanding from his established Mayfair space in London. The gallery launched with a group show, *Carte Blanche*, and has since hosted solo exhibitions, with plans for a *Made in UAE* initiative that received over 1,000 applications. Malat cites the slowing London market and growing momentum in the UAE as key factors in his decision to invest in Dubai, where he spent a month building relationships with collectors and the local community before opening.
Art galleries and museums across the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar have shuttered their physical spaces following a series of Iranian missile strikes targeting the Arabian Gulf. Major institutions including the Jameel Arts Centre and commercial galleries like Lawrie Shabibi and The Third Line have moved operations online or closed entirely as the UAE government advises residents to remain at home. The regional instability follows a cycle of retaliatory strikes between Iran and US-Israeli forces, resulting in casualties within the UAE.
The 2026 ZEKE award winners have been announced, with Ginevra Bonina winning the award for systemic change for her project 'Out for Blood,' which documents period poverty in India and the women fighting to reclaim their bodies. Ebrahim Alipoor won the award for documentary photography for his long-term project 'Bullets Have No Borders,' capturing the lives of border porters carrying goods across the Iran-Iraq mountains.
Saad Khan, a New York-based archivist, has developed Khajistan, an expansive digital and physical archive dedicated to preserving censored and overlooked mass media from South Asia to the Maghreb. The collection features a diverse array of ephemera, including homoerotic imagery, working-class street posters, and banned magazines that are often erased from official cultural records. By documenting everything from WhatsApp forwards to vintage film posters, Khan creates a space where the lived experiences of queer, trans, and working-class individuals in these regions are validated and archived.
A new art fair called CONDUCTOR: Art Fair of the Global Majority will launch in Brooklyn from April 30 to May 3, 2026. Hosted at Powerhouse Arts, the inaugural edition will feature 27 gallery exhibitors and 17 special projects dedicated to artists from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations worldwide.
A new auction platform called Bam Auctions will launch in Dubai this May, with its inaugural sale held on Saturday at Bayt AlMamzar, an independent cultural space in a restored villa. The sale features 21 lots of contemporary art from the UAE and the wider region, including works by Jaber Al Azmeh, Manal Al Dowayan, and Hale Tenger, with estimates ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Bidding will be in person with remote options via phone, WhatsApp, and absentee bids.
The twentieth edition of Art Dubai opened to VIP visitors on Thursday in a smaller format than originally planned, delayed from mid-April due to regional geopolitical unrest. The fair presented around fifty galleries, roughly 60% fewer than the approximately 120 exhibitors initially expected, yet drew a strong crowd of collectors primarily from the Gulf states and the wider Middle East. Separately, a new gallery, 971 Art Gallery, has opened in Dubai's Art of Living Mall, featuring international artists such as Gérard Rancinan, Isabelle Scheltjens, Riccardo Gusmaroli, Benito Cerna Leon, and Michele Tombolini, and offering curatorial advice and collection management to a growing base of newer collectors.
The Guardian's weekly photo feature presents 20 images capturing global events from March 2026. The selection documents intense conflict in the Middle East, including Israeli military actions in the West Bank and Lebanon, attacks on energy infrastructure in the UAE, and violent clashes with worshippers in Jerusalem during Ramadan. It also shows scenes from a blackout in Havana and the Oscars ceremony.
Iranian archaeologists Sepideh Maziar and Mehrnoush Soroush have launched an interactive online map to document and geolocate cultural heritage sites in Iran damaged by military strikes. The map, hosted by the University of Chicago's CAMEL Lab, currently lists 69 verified sites, including the historic Sa'dabad Palace complex in Tehran, and is updated as new information becomes available.
Photographer Peter van Agtmael reflects on a photograph he took 20 years ago while embedded with the U.S. military in Iraq. The image, captured during his first experience of war, depicts a dejected American soldier sitting in an ordinary Iraqi living room, a scene he describes as showing the vast military machine mobilized in the Middle East.
ArtTactic's Global Art Market Outlook report indicates that the art market is entering 2026 with renewed optimism, with over half of participants expecting growth. Auction sales rose 11% year-on-year in 2025, driven by high-value trophy works and single-owner collections. Confidence is strongest at the top (works over $1 million) and bottom (under $50,000) of the market, while the mid-market remains squeezed. Modern and Post-War art lead the rebound, with painting dominating over NFTs and AI art. Geographically, the Middle East is the most bullish region, boosted by events like Art Basel Qatar, while the US and parts of Asia show improving sentiment, and Europe lags.
Art Basel Qatar is set to proceed as scheduled in early February despite heightened Gulf tensions following U.S. and U.K. troop reductions near Doha. Dealers and visitors remain cautious, with some delaying travel plans, while Iran's temporary airspace closures have disrupted flights. Organizers say they are continually evaluating the security environment and remain committed to delivering a successful inaugural edition.
UBS's eleventh Billionaire Ambitions Report reveals that global billionaire wealth hit a record $15.8 trillion in 2025, with the number of billionaires rising 8.8% to nearly 3,000. The report, based on a survey of 87 ultra-wealthy clients, found that 27% plan to increase their investment in art and antiques, while 65% intend to maintain current levels—totaling 92% of respondents. Enthusiasm is strongest in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (35% planning increases), followed by Asia-Pacific (25%), and weakest in the Americas (15%).
Alserkal, a Dubai-based cultural enterprise, and Design Miami have announced a multi-year partnership to launch a new regional platform for collectible design in Dubai. The initiative, centered on a flagship fair and year-round programming, will debut in early 2027, marking Design Miami's first expansion into the Middle East. The collaboration leverages Alserkal's 15-year history in developing Dubai's contemporary art scene and Design Miami's two decades of experience in Miami and Paris, aiming to create a network that connects these hubs and elevates Middle Eastern design globally.
CONDUCTOR, a new art fair curated by Adriana Farietta in collaboration with Powerhouse Arts, launches this week in Brooklyn, New York. The fair features individual artists and galleries from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations, with a focus on the Global Majority. A key innovation is its onsite fabrication model, allowing some works to be produced locally at Powerhouse Arts' facilities, reducing shipping and customs issues. The fair also offers an exclusive preview of artists presenting at the Venice Biennale, including Annalee Davis, Tammy Nguyen, RojoNegro, Beya Gille Gacha, and Bugarin + Castle.
Paintings by the late US president Jimmy Carter, along with personal effects from his family, will be auctioned at Christie's in New York this month as part of a sale titled "We the People: America at 250," marking the country's semiquincentennial. The works were selected by his daughter Amy Carter and include scenes of a Georgia church, a still-life with a pomegranate, a waterfall, and a historical painting titled "The Hornet's Nest" (2003), with estimates ranging from $2,000 to $12,000. Also offered are a portrait of Carter by Don Powers, scarves with a peanut print, ties, a Stetson hat, a coffee table made by Carter, and a copy of Chairman Mao's quotations.
Christie's London held the 'SILSILA: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection' auction on 6 November 2025, featuring Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art. The sale achieved a total of £4,112,260, with a 93% sell-through rate by value and 85% by lot. The top lot was Saloua Raouda Choucair's 'Poem' (1966-68), which sold for £393,700, setting a world auction record for the artist in the wood medium. Other highlights included Sliman Mansour's 'Untitled' (2014) at £323,850 and Kamal Boullata's 'Nocturne I' (2001) at £165,100. Eight world auction records were set during the evening.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington presents 'Portals,' an exhibition curated by Donna Honarpisheh featuring three rising female artists—Aryana Minai, Shyama Golden, and Aiza Ahmed—who explore the concept of liminality through dreamscapes and half-seen worlds. Minai’s works use handmade paper, bricks, and skeleton leaves to create tactile portals and altars; Golden’s oil and acrylic paintings depict a surreal journey into a subconscious dream world inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland' and Sri Lankan folklore.
JD Malat Gallery Dubai has launched 'Made in the UAE,' an open call for emerging contemporary artists across the UAE. Five artists working in painting, sculpture, photography, installation, or video will be selected for a group exhibition in December 2025 at the gallery's Downtown Dubai space. Submissions are open until October 15, 2025, and a selection committee of regional curators and international art professionals will choose the final participants.
Oltre le armi. La forza sociale come vera difesa nel Golfo Persico
Journalist and observer perspectives highlight that Iran’s geopolitical resilience against international military pressure stems from its vibrant middle class and deep-rooted historical identity rather than just its arsenal. Observations from travels across Iranian cities like Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan reveal a society deeply engaged with its own culture, frequenting museums, cafes, and archaeological sites despite political isolation and a lack of foreign tourism.
Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has opened applications for its third Emerging New Media Artists Programme, a one-year fully supported residency running from October 2026 to October 2027. Developed in collaboration with Le Fresnoy – Studio National des Arts Contemporains in France, the programme offers emerging artists aged 35 or under access to professional equipment, a production budget, mentorship by international digital artists, and multidisciplinary training in art, science, and technology. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2026, with a focus on applicants from the Middle East and North Africa.
Mär Martinez's first solo museum exhibition, “A loom, a fence, a wire, a thread,” opens at The Art & History Museums of Maitland, featuring paintings inspired by traditional Turkish and Middle Eastern textile practices. The works, developed during her 2024-2025 Fulbright research in Istanbul, weave together her Cuban and Syrian heritage, exploring themes of cultural memory, displacement, and resilience through imagery of carpets, barbed wire, and urban barriers.
Contemporary painter Mär Martinez, a Fulbright scholar and UCF alum, presents her first solo museum exhibition, “A loom, a fence, a wire, a thread,” at the Art & History Museums of Maitland (A&H) in Maitland, Florida. The show features works developed during her 2024–25 Fulbright research in Istanbul and builds on ideas from her 2021–2023 Studio Artist Residency at A&H. Inspired by traditional Turkish and Middle Eastern textile practices, Martinez explores themes of urban life, surveillance, and cultural memory, using imagery from nighttime walks through Istanbul—fences, checkpoints, and barbed wire—combined with historic textile patterns. Her Cuban and Arab heritage and family’s experience of displacement inform her work, with weaving serving as a metaphor for endurance and resistance. The opening night is free to the public, with live music, food, and a cash bar.
Tehran-born artist and human rights lawyer Sanam Ghandehari is presenting a new body of work in Paterson, New Jersey, against the backdrop of escalating military conflict in Iran. Her multi-layered pieces reflect the duality of the current crisis, juxtaposing the hope for democratic liberation with the immediate trauma of seeing her childhood home bombarded.
The Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai has been forced to implement rigorous emergency protocols, including 'shelter in place' procedures, following a series of missile and drone strikes across the UAE. Director Antonia Carver, managing operations remotely from the UK due to travel disruptions, describes a new reality where staff must balance the physical safety of visitors with the institution's role as a sanctuary for the community. Despite a recent conditional ceasefire, the center remains on high alert while supporting a workforce deeply affected by regional instability.
Four prominent art market figures—Ed Dolman, Brett Gorvy, Patti Wong, and Phillip Hoffman—have launched a new consultancy called New Perspectives Art Partners. The group, which also includes Dolman's son Alex, aims to provide a white-glove, case-by-case service for top-tier clients, covering buying and selling art, estate management, financing, and insurance. Each member brings specialized expertise and geographic reach across Europe, America, the Middle East, and Asia, and they will maintain their existing roles in their own businesses.
Istanbul scommette sull’arte contemporanea: durante la fiera CI Bloom annunciato l’arrivo di un nuovo spazio
The fifth edition of CI Bloom, the boutique contemporary art fair organized by Contemporary Istanbul, recently concluded at the Lütfi Kırdar Congress and Exhibition Hall. Featuring 28 galleries and over 300 artists, the fair introduced aggressive financial incentives to support exhibitors, including a 30% reduction in participation fees, fixed exchange rates to mitigate currency risk, and a partnership with Turkish Airlines providing free art transport and customs coverage.
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an Aramco initiative, is participating in Milan Design Week 2026 (April 20-26) by presenting the exhibition “Default is Not Universal” at the Isola Design Festival. The exhibition features works by eight designers from the Middle East and North Africa, including seven interactive stations that use artificial intelligence to collect visitor data and map cognitive patterns shaped by cultural influences. After its debut in Milan, the exhibition will travel to Saudi Arabia as the anchor international exhibition of Ithra Design Week later this year.