Art world looks to the Middle East as Art Dubai 2009 continues to lead the creative community

The largest event of its kind in the Middle East, Art Dubai has established itself as a highly significant cultural event on the global art calendar with its mix of both established international galleries alongside and the most innovative galleries from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

In 2009, Art Dubai will collaborate on an international visitor programme providing opportunities to experience the depth and diversity of cultural projects now underway in the Gulf including the Sharjah Biennial, which opens on March 16 and a tour to the magnificent Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Another highlight of the Art Dubai 2009 program will be the inaugural exhibition of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize, the world's most generous contemporary art award, aimed at providing opportunities for artists from across the MENASA region.

"Working collaboratively with world-class art projects such as the Sharjah Biennial, The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha and the Abraaj Capital Art Prize, Art Dubai can create a focal point to understand the seriousness of the region's cultural ambitions. 2009 will be a litmus test for the quality of contemporary art in the region and give substance to the claims that we are witnessing the creation of one of the most exciting and stimulating new centres for art in the world,"

said John Martin, co-founder and Director of Art Dubai.

Cultural tourism is a key element of Art Dubai's mission, as the fair seeks to attract more than 5000 - 6000 visitors from overseas, doubling the number of overseas visitors who came in 2008. As Art Dubai will continue to attract growing numbers of international art lovers for the fair, organizers are actively recruiting larger numbers of attendees from across the Middle East to take advantage of the unique opportunity to see the best contemporary art from around the world.

"Art Dubai's growth is a tribute to everyone involved in the region's vibrant art scene, including the robust support from the public sector in the UAE and increasingly from culturally-minded private companies like Abraaj Capital. In order for the region's arts sector to continue to develop at the speed it is capable of, we want to encourage far greater involvement from residents across the GCC and other countries within the Middle East. This week is an opportunity for arts organisations, public sector projects, corporate patrons, artists, collectors and art lovers to make their own unique contribution to the rapidly-changing cultural landscape." Martin added.

Other attractions of Art Dubai 2009 include a range of arts projects and education programs such as the Global Art Forum, which will draw the leading cultural thinkers and pundits from around the world to Dubai, fostering links between the Middle Eastern arts community and the global sector. START, a project to fund children's art workshops in deprived communities, will also host a comprehensive range of workshops and outreach during Art Dubai 2009.