Dubai will play host to the third annual Contemporary Art Fair Dubai, an expansive and globally-inclusive event that is open to the public from March 19-21. 65 different galleries from across the Middle East, Europe, South America, Asia and the United States were selected out of 300 applicants to curate exhibitions, readings and performances that highlight the aesthetic from each particular corner of the globe. Certain to be a program highlight: "The Art of Magical Jewels," a showcase of the glittering wearable art crafted by legendary French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels. This year's gathering includes the winners of the new Abraaj Capital Art Prize, where a total of almost a million dollars in endowment money was awarded to three international curator/artist teams to afford their works a global stage and identity. It also marks the occasion of the third annual Global Art Forum (March 18-21), bringing together artists and involved intellectuals to posit the Middle East's place within the art world and to expose the art of cities such as Tehran, Iran to a larger audience. Convenient to the Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai, Art Dubai power-packs a world of creativity into one enlightened city.
