Global Art Forum 2014, entitled ‘Meanwhile…History’ features participants from the worlds of art, architecture, film, literature, history, theatre and commentary. Taking place over five days – March 15-16 in Doha and March 19-21 in Dubai – the Forum is known as the leading regional platform for cultural debate, and one of the most innovative of arts conferences, worldwide.

Meanwhile…History, focuses on an imagined timeline of turning points in history—significant decades, years, days, minutes or seconds that shifted an understanding of the world. The Forum includes live talks, presentations and debates, plus commissioned projects and research.

The Forum, programmed by writer Shumon Basar; Omar Berrada and Ala Younis, also reflects on the philosophy and fiction of making history matter: each interview, discussion, presentation or commissioned project at Global Art Forum 8 is a point on this imagined timeline. As a whole, the Forum becomes a journey through known and unknown histories, of critical change and seismic moments.

In 2014, the Forum is presented by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), and is held in partnership with the Office of Strategic Cultural Relations at Qatar Museums Authority through their Years of Culture annual initiative. The Doha days (March 15-16) take place during the Qatar Brazil 2014 Year of Culture  at Katara Art Center, while in Dubai, the Forum is located next to Art Dubai Modern, at Mina A’Salam, Madinat Jumeirah (March 19-21).

The Global Art Forum’s fellowship programme Forum Fellows returns this year with a focus on curating, led by writer and curator Tirdad Zolghadr. This intensive programme of workshops enables exceptional upcoming curators from the Middle East to exchange ideas and experience. Fellows selected for the 2014 programme are: Amanda Abi Khalil (Beirut); Azar Mahmoudian (Tehran); Yasmina Reggad (Algiers); Yara Saqfalhait (Ramallah), and Ania Szremski (Cairo).

Global Art Forum 8 features 40 contributors, including:

Rahel Aima, John Akomfrah, Shiva Balaghi, Sulayman Al Bassam, Omar Berrada, Jocelyne Dakhlia, Catherine David, Okwui Enwezor, Marina Fokidis, Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, Frauke Heard-Bey, Adina Hempel, Butheina Kazim, Kristine Khouri, Masha Kirasirova, Ahmad Makia, Farah Al-Nakib, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Todd Reisz, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Justin Stearns, Brett Steele, Adam Szymczyk, Michael C. Vazquez, Marina Warner, Ala Younis, Tirdad Zolghadr

Global Art Forum takes place: 

March 15-16, 2014 at Katara Art Center, Doha 

March 19-21, 2014, at Art Dubai, Mina A’Salam, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai 

www.artdubai.ae/global-art-forum/2014