Report on Global Art Forum_7
By Jyoti Dhar
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla at Global Art Forum, Dubai, 2013.
The staging of this year’s Global Art Forum at Art Dubai set the tone perfectly for what we were about to view: an animated, performative event. North African throws draped across the seating; potted palms flanked the platform; TV monitors intermittently blared ad-breaks, one featuring a group of Chinese girls enthusiastically singing in front of an SUV. You were not quite sure what the set was modeled after—perhaps a television talk show?—nor were you ever certain what would happen there next. On stage, quick-tongued hosts sat on sofas and were visited by a range of guests: writers, artists, curators and musicians, including the legendary front man of REM, Michael Stipe. GAF was by no means your typical conference with a series of talking heads presenting dry Power Points.
