DISPATCHES
PING, NEWS AND THINGS TO MAKE AND DO… SHOPPING, NEWS AND THINGS TO MAKE AND DO… SHOP
TALES FROM THE CITY: Dubai
words MARK RAPPOLT “The first-ever DIFC Gulf Art Fair belongs in the world of the discerning
has been deemed an outright success by corporate traveller, or the minds
the organizers as well as participating of the planners (if there are any)
galleries and artists.” That was the shaping Dubai.
opening line of the press release that
greeted me on my return from the Exploring the city (by taxi and via
aforementioned art fair (which takes several roundabouts and the odd
place in Dubai) this March. But what underpass) you get the impression
does it mean? Particularly when most that the rules for its construction
gallerists seemed not overly enthusiastic went along the lines of ‘whatever you
about the amount of money spent. want’ – which seems almost always
to have been a tower block of one
As I checked in to my Dubai hotel sort or another – ‘you can have’: if
– ‘the ideal environment for the you want your office block here, you
discerning corporate traveller’ (and can have it and we’ll worry about
the experience of staying there, the roads and services later. You
however comfortable, never felt far can list the other wants: after the
removed from that of kipping in an airport (easily confused with the
executive’s office) – the rest of the general mass of shopping centres), the
artworld was in neighbouring Abu Dhabi buildings and the shopping malls came
checking out Jean Nouvel’s plans for the sport. (Tiger Woods was famously
an architecturally spectacular local paid $1,000,000 to whack a golf ball
franchise of the Louvre. The Gulf, as off the top of the beachfront Burj
everyone knows, is where it’s at for Al Arab hotel as part of the seven-
this sort of thing right now. Even as self-bestowed-star hotel’s opening
you read this, Frank Gehry is beavering ceremonies.) And now comes the art.
away at the designs for a new outpost
of another great art corporation – the As a gang of Indian labourers dragged
Guggenheim – also in Abu Dhabi, while and shoved a sculpture across the
Tadao Ando and Zaha Hadid (to name but beach, a gaggle of (mainly) Western
two of the architecture superstars art critics were listening to (mainly)
currently making high-tech sandcastles Western artists describing what they
in the desert) also have cultural do. This was convened as part of a
institutions on the go. Global Art Forum, held in a crenellated
pavilion complete with AstroTurf lawn.
At the opening of the fair itself (of
An Emirati stood in front the 40 galleries exhibiting, only one was local), an Emirati stood in front
of a Damien Hirst butterfly of a Damien Hirst butterfly piece and complained that the whole thing wasn’t
piece and complained that shocking enough. The abiding memory is of a polite Las Vegas free from
it wasn’t shocking enough gambling (unless Dubai’s alternative to that is supposed to be investing
in art). Indeed, many of the critics
assembled described their forthcoming
visits to the Sharjah Biennial in terms
So there I was, at the newest centre more normally applied to a visit to
of the cultural universe, in a massive the Playboy mansion.
tower block, above a deserted designer
shopping mall (according to one of People have said that it’s hard to
the almost suicidally bored shop imagine Western contemporary art in the
assistants, this retail desert remains Emirates. But perhaps it isn’t that
viable because two or three people a hard at all. Sure, there is something
day pass through and buy in bulk – 15 more than a little ridiculous about the
or 20 pairs of the most expensive shoes notion that places like Abu Dhabi will
for friends and family) complete with attract people to the Middle East by
a Starbucks, a tapas place, a sushi showing art from the West. But in Dubai
bar, a burger joint and a drinking you can’t help but be conscious of the
establishment that was a cross between fact that success is a question of how
Cheers and a mock-English pub. But my much you’ve spent. And art fairs are
main problem was not where to dine, of course no different. Perhaps in the
but how to cross the road. Apparently context of conspicuous consumption any
pedestrianism isn’t something that art fair will seem like a success.
ARTREVIEW four.lineight.lin
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