Every year, there is a moment when Manarat Al Saadiyat's lights turn glass-clear, and the wind feels like a page being turned. The dunes soften, and the air begins to shimmer with possibilities. At that moment, you know that Abu Dhabi Art Fair is back with its modern art. In 2025, from 19th to 23rd November, all the curators, collectors, and galleries were gathered at the same place to celebrate the 17th edition of the fair.
It isn't just an exhibition but a place where people unfold conversations and witness the diverse cities, styles, and souls. For many visitors, it also offers a close look at some of the top original art styles in the UAE, shaped by both regional identity and global influence.
A Canvas of Culture
This fair brings together more than 140 galleries from 52 cities across 37 countries. This marks a 40% increase in participation compared to last year. The growth reflects the fair’s success and its ability to blend heritage with futurism. And to do so, Shaikha Al Mazrou, whose minimal, quietly tectonic sensibility feels right at home, led this fair in a city that builds with both steel and restraint.
The event was held at Manarat Al Saadiyat, which is a lighthouse of creativity in the Middle East. It is a campus of galleries, studios, and a 250 - seat auditorium where people not only browse. They linger, sketch, debate, reconnect, and buy in that order. The atmosphere feels closer to an exclusive art gallery, where time slows down, and art is experienced without distraction.
Why You Should Keep an Eye on It
UAE is a place not just confined to galleries but lives in conversation with architecture, fashion, and technology. In the 17th edition of the fair, there were a lot of trends going o,n like:
Material storytelling: Artists still continue to blend local textures like sand-leaning textures, cast metals, stitched fiber, and more with modern mediums.
Minimalism with depth: Works that can seem simple at first glance, but will grow more complex the longer you look at them.
Voices from the region: Emirati and Gulf artists bringing new ways of expressing identity, beyond motifs and tradition. The UAE audience rewards sincerity over spectacle; fairs here have been showing that trajectory for years.
Digital dialogue: Interactive installations and tech-infused art forms that invite the viewer to participate, not just observe.
Art Beyond the Fair
Learning about a fair like Abu Dhabi Art is its own form of travel. It is a reminder that creativity is not bound by geography, but it is an invitation for you to stay curious, explore more, and discover more artists from across the globe. Art is not a decoration, but a story that belongs in every home, and here at Seanines, we deeply believe in this.
We really admire that these events can encourage and inspire people to see art as a part of their daily lives.
In the End
UAE is transforming into a world art capital, and at SeaNines, we see fairs like these as a reflection of why we exist. Which is to make art more accessible to people, more personal for you, and more present in everyday life.
Inspiration does not need a frame; it needs an open mind. Because in the end, art does not just fill a space - it shapes how we see the world around us.
