Art Dubai 2025: Shaping Digital Futures In The Middle East

Marking the fair’s seventh year, Art Dubai 2025 brought collectors, artists, and galleries to the Middle East for a show of top contemporary and digital works. The international exhibitions centred upon the UAE art market, offering insight into the future of the cultural sector in Dubai.

This spring, Art Dubai returned as the Middle East’s largest international art fair, reflecting the region’s rapidly growing role in the global art market. Held from April 18th to 20th in Madinat Jumeirah, the fair brought together over 120 galleries from 65 countries, including over 20 first-time participants, signaling a clear expansion of Dubai’s influence in contemporary and digital art circles.

Established in 2007, Art Dubai has evolved into a leading platform for contemporary art, offering a curated space where both emerging and established artists can engage with collectors, curators, and cultural institutions. This year’s fair emphasized an expanding interest in digital art, an area that has captivated young collectors and tech developers alike. With many curators and buyers still navigating this new terrain, Art Dubai has positioned itself at the forefront of conversations around the future of UAE art and technology. 

The rise of Dubai’s art galleries has paralleled the international success of Art Dubai. What began as a handful of experimental spaces has grown into a network of influential galleries, many of which have gained global recognition. This growth is no accident — as part of a national strategy to diversify its oil-based economy, the UAE government has invested heavily in cultural infrastructure.

Landmark institutions like the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi symbolise a shift in the country’s long-term vision: from commerce to culture. These initiatives have positioned Dubai as a major player in the Middle East art scene, attracting a new generation eager to engage with a city that is strategically situated between innovation and tradition. Artists such a Beirut-born Nabil Kanso, who created work for over six decades, spotlight the fair’s efforts to incorporate voices from across the Middle East into the UAE’s creative community.

With a high number of applications, the 2025 gallery program was rigorously selected by a panel of international judges. The result was a strong emphasis on underrepresented voices, with a diverse roster spanning continents. From conceptual installations to digital-native practices, the fair reflected the changing palette of a globally conscious audience.

Art Dubai’s strength lies in its structure. The fair was divided into four key sections: Art Dubai Contemporary — showcasing leading galleries from established markets, Art Dubai Modern – focusing on artists from the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa who worked between the 1940s and 1990s, Bawwaba – meaning ‘gateway’ in Arabic, this section is dedicated to solo presentations from the Global South, and Art Dubai Digital – a bold exploration of NFTs, AI-generated work, and other digital-native formats. 

The Digital section, curated by London-based Gonzalo Herrero Delicado, was a highlight of the fair. Themed After the Technological Sublime, it attracted collectors and creatives across industries, revealing how art together with technology can be used as a catalyst for growth, reflecting modernist tendencies within an optimist’s context. Using AI, blockchain, augmented/virtual reality, and other forms of advanced technologies, Art Dubai emphasises the intentionality of digital artists, digging its feet in and carving out a space for it to be received within its own context. In a country known for its innovation and future-focused approach, the rise of digital art in the UAE feels both inevitable and intentional.

The momentum of the 2025 fair affirms the city’s rising status as the Middle East’s epicentre for the arts. As Dubai’s art market continues to expand, the fair remains a focal point for establishing international partnerships, supporting local talent, and drawing attention to the city’s growing cultural capital.

From global conversations around emerging art markets to the tactile impact of immersive, tech-driven installations, Art Dubai isn’t just a fair, it’s a signal — the UAE’s art scene is no longer peripheral, but central to the future of global art.

Written by JULIA SILVERBERG