Abu Dhabi Art is back. Now in its 16th edition, the fair returns with over 140 galleries from across the world, pulling together the heavyweights, the risk-takers, and the names you’ll probably be bragging about discovering first. With so much to see (and an overwhelming amount of museum-level work on show), consider this your shortcut: ten galleries you absolutely can’t miss that are making this year’s fair genuinely worth clearing your schedule for.
Galerie Farah Fakhri

Joana Choumali, Peace Over Everything, 2025.
Beirut’s Galerie Farah Fakhri continues to carve out space for emerging and mid-career Arab artists, with a program rooted in experimentation and cultural memory. The gallery is known for championing voices from the Levant and presenting them in dialogue with global contemporary practices. At Abu Dhabi Art, expect thoughtful curation that highlights the region’s evolving visual language and the stories shaping it.
Iris Projects

Nasser Al Salem, Each Time a Star Wanders, 2025
Abu Dhabi-based Iris Projects has quickly become one of the UAE’s most interesting young galleries, thanks to its focus on conceptual work and its support for regional artists challenging form and narrative. The gallery often oscillates between bold material explorations and quieter, research-driven pieces. It’s a balance that makes its booth one of the most intriguing stops for collectors looking for fresh perspectives from the Gulf.
Sevil Dolmaci

Serkan Özkaya, Baker’s Apprentice, 2025
One of Istanbul’s most influential contemporary art spaces, Sevil Dolmacı Gallery is known for its roster of internationally acclaimed artists and its polished approach to large-scale, museum-quality presentations. Whether working with established painters or rising sculptors, the gallery brings a distinctly Turkish sensibility to the global circuit.
Opera Gallery

Pablo Picasso, Tete de faune, 1958
With locations spanning New York to Singapore, Opera Gallery arrives at Abu Dhabi Art with its signature mix of blue-chip names and contemporary standouts. The gallery’s strength lies in its ability to bridge eras, placing post-war legends alongside today’s most sought-after artists. It’s a reliable stop for collectors searching for both investment pieces and new discoveries.
Ars Belga

Jaider Esbell, Untitled, 2020
Brussels-based Ars Belga has built its reputation on championing Belgian and European artists working across painting, sculpture, and mixed media. The gallery’s program leans toward works that interrogate materiality and the emotional tension between abstraction and figuration. Its participation this year brings a distinctly European pulse to the fair, offering a fresh counterpoint to the region’s narratives.
Carbon12

André Butzer, Untitled, 2024
A pillar of Alserkal Avenue since 2008, Carbon 12 consistently pushes the conversation forward through its tight, research-led roster. The gallery represents some of the region’s most interesting conceptual and interdisciplinary artists, often presenting work that grapples with identity, environmental change, and the politics of visibility. Their booth is usually among the most critically engaged, and this year is no exception.
kó Gallery

Rufus Ogundele, Reunion, 1994
Lagos’ kó Gallery continues to redefine how contemporary African art is presented on the global stage. Known for its commitment to historical research, institutional collaborations, and platforming Nigerian artists across generations, the gallery brings a depth that goes far beyond trends or buzz. Its Abu Dhabi Art presentation promises a compelling look at the future of West African art through a rigorously curated lens.
Hunna Art

Alymamah Rashed, I have fixed your roots in the soils of my earth to reach you 7 skies (for I am near your heart), 2024
Founded in 2021 by Océane Sailly, Hunna Art is a forward-looking contemporary gallery dedicated to elevating a new generation of women artists from or connected to the Arabian Peninsula. At this year’s Abu Dhabi Art 2025 “Focus: The Gulf Region” section, Hunna Art presents a dynamic trio of women artists— Alymamah Rashed (Kuwait), Joud Fahmy (Saudi Arabia) and Zayn Qahtani (Bahrain)— whose diverse practices orbit around ecology, landscape, embodied form and speculative media.
Lawrie Shabibi

Elias Sime, Tightrope: Through the Window 8, 2025
Dubai’s Lawrie Shabibi remains a key player in developing the regional art ecosystem, with a program that spans emerging voices to internationally recognized names. The gallery places strong emphasis on artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, often choosing works that probe political histories, migration, and the poetics of everyday life. Expect a booth that feels both grounded and globally resonant.
Ayn Gallery

Bilal Bahir, The world is yours Habibi, 2025.
Paris- and Algeria-based, Ayn Gallery was founded in 2018 by Yasmine Azzi-Kohlhepp as a platform that fuses North African and European contemporary art. With dual operations in France and Algeria, the gallery is dedicated to artists who engage with post-colonial narratives, identity and cross-cultural exchange, and it brings that layered dialogue to this year’s fair.