Abu Dhabi Art has also announced the selection of Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, who represented the United Arab Emirates at the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2022, as this year’s visual campaign artist. As in previous years, a selection of works by the artist will be used to create a global campaign for the fair, enabling a wide international audience to discover his works while also forming the overall visual identity for the fair in November. Ibrahim’s works reveal his own form of language – inscriptions, lines and abstract forms that are reminiscent of ancient cave drawings – marking time and memory through meditative repetition.
As one of the foremost artists in the UAE today, his appointment as this year’s visual campaign artist is a continuation of an on-going relationship with the fair, from his role in creating a special commission for the fair’s exhibition Gateway in 2017 to curating Abu Dhabi Art’s Beyond: Emerging Artists programme in 2018, as well as having a solo booth at the fair with his gallery Lawrie Shabibi in 2020.
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim said: "As one of the most important platforms for art, Abu Dhabi Art has tremendous value and visibility for local and global artists and art lovers. Having personally participated in its exhibitions since its inception and seen its growth over the years, I have always believed in its prominence and distinction. The same can be said of the organisers, who champion a community of culture and position it prominently as one of the most important international art exhibitions worldwide. Abu Dhabi Art is a pillar of the local and international art community and we are proud, as its host to welcome Abu Dhabi Art visitors to our city of culture”.
