For several years, the Gulf states have been engaged in an ambitious rebranding campaign, to establish themselves as a centre for art, culture and science. Leading academic institutions, like the New York University or Paris's Sorbonne university, have opened campuses in Abu Dhabi; major museums, like the Louvre and the Guggenheim are planning to build branches there. — Qantara.de
The Abu Dhabi Art Fair has turned into an attraction, not just for regional artists, gallery-owners and art experts, but also for those from Europe, the USA, South Asia and Australia. The Emirate of Sharjah puts on an Art Biennial which has international status. These developments are part of the image: the area presents itself as offering an open climate for international cultural exchange at a high level.
But this façade is beginning to show cracks: the question is being asked more frequently whether one can really create the space for independent thought and for art in authoritarian, conservative states such as the Emirates.
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