ABU DHABI, 28th September, 2026 (WAM) -- The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Frieze revealed the programme for the inaugural edition of Frieze Abu Dhabi, taking place from 19th to 22nd November 2026 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Rooted in the artistic histories and contemporary practices of the region, the programme will bring together artists across generations and geographies, led by a major new commission by Dala Nasser, In Dialogue with UAE artists Mohammed Kazem and Alia Zaal and Frieze Sculpture Abu Dhabi at Mamsha Beach on Saadiyat Island.
The inaugural fair will build on Abu Dhabi’s longstanding commitment to art and culture and its growing role within the global art world. More than 80 galleries from 36 countries and regions will participate in Frieze Abu Dhabi.
Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Frieze Abu Dhabi, said, “Frieze Abu Dhabi takes shape within a rich and evolving cultural landscape, and the programme for our first edition responds to that context.
"Spanning generations and geographies, it reflects the artistic histories, ideas and practices that connect Abu Dhabi to a wider scene. From Dala Nasser’s new commission to In Dialogue and Frieze Sculpture Abu Dhabi, the programme puts artists and their ideas at the centre of Frieze Abu Dhabi.”
The inaugural Frieze Abu Dhabi Artist Award is curated by Nabila Abdel Nabi, curator and art historian, who has selected Beirut- and London-based artist Dala Nasser. The award will support a new commission, and Nasser’s ambitious site-responsive work, Qubbat Duris, will take centre stage at the fair.
The work takes its name from a 13th-century monument near Baalbek, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, whose composite structure reflects the transcultural history of the region—fragments of Roman limestone sarcophagi rest upon eight granite columns from earlier centuries.
At the fair, In Dialogue, a new annual flagship exhibition, will pair an established artist with an emerging artist from the UAE. This inaugural exhibition is curated by Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, the Abu Dhabi-based creative incubator founded by curator Munira Al Sayegh, alongside co-curators Hessa Al Nuaimi and Dania Al Tamimi.
Titled At Another Meeting Point, the project will bring works by artists Mohammed Kazem and Alia Zaal into conversation, opening up new perspectives and unexpected points of connection across generations.
Frieze Sculpture Abu Dhabi will take the fair into the public realm, unfolding as a journey through form, material and time. Familiar objects will gain new meaning, such as in Zeinab Alhashemi’s The Nut and Bolt, presented by Tabari, where an everyday mechanism of urban construction will take on new significance. Works by Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, presented by Lawrie Shabibi, Imran Qureshi, presented by Thaddaeus Ropac and Kamran Samimi, presented by The Third Line, will extend the journey across material, ecology and place.
Running from 16th November to 16th December at Mamsha Beach on Saadiyat Island, the programme will be presented by Frieze Abu Dhabi’s Official Partner, Aldar.
Over the duration of the fair, a programme of talks will bring together artists, curators, museum leaders and patrons to illuminate and interrogate the Frieze Abu Dhabi programme and wider art world conversations. The full schedule of talks and participants will be published in October.