Pakistan at Art Dubai: A vital bridging of cultures

At a time when the world often feels divided, art continues to offer a rare and powerful space for dialogue, discovery, and shared experience. Nowhere is this more evident than at Art Dubai, the Middle East’s leading international art fair. At the 2025 edition, it became increasingly clear that the platform is more than just an exhibition of global creative talent— it is also a connector of communities. For artists from South Asia, especially Pakistan, Art Dubai offers an important opportunity to engage with the region’s vibrant cultural scene and share their unique perspectives with a broader international audience.

Set in a city that has become a nexus for art, technology, and business, Art Dubai’s multidimensional structure— spanning Contemporary, Digital, and Modern sections— encourages creative dialogue across geographies and generations. It brings together emerging and established art scenes from around the world, while also spotlighting digital innovation, sustainability, and cultural exchange. The fair’s curated sections and development programs actively explore how art can respond to pressing global questions— from climate change to artificial intelligence— and offer artists the tools to contribute meaningfully. For Pakistani creatives, this kind of exposure showcased what Pakistan brings to the global table.

At this year’s edition of Art Dubai, the Pakistani presence was both intimate and expansive— offering not just works of art, but pieces of personal and national history. Nine Pakistani artists, including a tribute to the late Sadequain, were featured in the contemporary section, each bringing a distinct lens to the fair’s global stage. From minimalist sculptures to layered abstraction, their practices reflect a spectrum of concerns— identity, politics, memory, and mythology— deeply rooted in place but reaching beyond borders.

For Pakistani audiences and diasporas, Art Dubai offers more than spectacle. It’s a rare moment of visibility— where our artists are not only seen, but heard. 

 Sara Danial

Take Rasheed Araeen, one of the earliest voices of minimalist sculpture, whose structural works carry a quiet political resistance. Or Imran Qureshi, who merges Mughal miniature traditions with urgent contemporary themes, turning delicate brushwork into bold statements. Faiza Butt and Anwar Saeed explored identity through pointillism and haunting figuration, while Maha Ahmed reimagines fantasy worlds with a miniature-trained hand. Shehnaz Ismail’s textile-rooted expressions and Safdar Ali Qureshi’s memory-driven abstractions stand beside the spiritual poetics of Sana Arjumand. And then there’s Sadequain— whose calligraphy remains inseparable from Pakistan’s visual identity. Collectively, they form a chorus of voices, each adding depth to the region’s cultural conversation.

For Pakistani audiences and diasporas, Art Dubai offers more than spectacle. It’s a rare moment of visibility— where our artists are not only seen, but heard. Their works become bridges, connecting homegrown traditions to wider regional dialogues, reminding us that in the language of art, our stories are still unfolding— and they matter.

The 2025 edition also built on its momentum. As digital art continues to evolve, platforms like Art Dubai Digital are becoming increasingly significant. This section, dedicated to the intersection of new media art and technology, is unlike any other in the region. For Pakistani digital artists— many of whom are experimenting with NFTs, 3D visualizations, and AI tools— this is a vital space. It allows them to showcase their work and learn from and collaborate with peers from the Arab world, Africa, East Asia, and beyond. At its heart, Art Dubai Digital is about how we define art in the 21st century and how artists use emerging tools to make sense of the world around them.

Beyond exhibitions, Art Dubai has established itself as a hub for professional development through initiatives like Campus Art Dubai, the Global Art Forum, and year-round artist mentorship programs. These are more than side events— they are foundational to the fair’s ethos. They foster skills, build networks, and cultivate the next generation of cultural leaders. Pakistani artists, especially those at the start of their careers, stand to gain immensely from this kind of access. Whether through conversations about curating, sustainability, or market dynamics, they become part of a larger regional ecosystem that includes collectors, curators, critics, and policymakers.

In essence, Art Dubai is more than a fair— it is a living, evolving forum. One that values stories as much as it values technique, and one that is deeply invested in building cultural bridges. For Pakistani artists, it is a valuable chance to be seen, heard, and engaged. In a time when borders too often restrict imagination, Art Dubai allows art to move freely, building connections that last well beyond the gallery walls.

—Sara Danial is an independent writer from Karachi.