ARTnews reported that Frieze Abu Dhabi, the rebrand of the seventeen-year-old Abu Dhabi Art fair, has confirmed its inaugural exhibitor list ahead of its debut at Manarat Al Saadiyat from 19 to 22 November 2026. The announcement marks Frieze's first fair anywhere in West Asia, North Africa or South Asia, bringing together 84 galleries from 63 cities across 36 countries.
Alongside international names such as Gagosian, Pace Gallery and Thaddaeus Ropac, the line-up draws on the region's own dealers, including Carbon 12, Lawrie Shabibi, The Third Line, Iris Projects and Tabari Artspace. Three curated sections shape the fair: Focus, for emerging galleries showing experimental solo and dual presentations, with artists including Tahir Karmali, Chonon Bensho and Jawad Al Malhi; Global Futures, led by curator Tarini Malik, pairing solo presentations with cultural histories tied to the UAE and the wider region, among them Ala Younis and Abdullah Al Saadi; and Frieze Masters Abu Dhabi, curated by Marika Sardar around antiquities and historic Indian Ocean trade routes. An all-female curatorial team has placed particular weight on women artists, citing Etel Adnan, Hamra Abbas and Shaikha Al Mazrou.
For Tabari, the listing confirms a first outing at the newly launched fair, continuing a run of participation that stretches back through the former Abu Dhabi Art before Frieze's takeover of the event; the gallery's presentation, Be the Stone, forms part of that November debut at Manarat Al Saadiyat.