The United Arab Emirates is a country established by the pen, not the sword thanks to the skilful diplomacy and consensus among Sheikhs of different emirates and London. Thanks to safety and tolerance as well as absence of taxes it managed to attract lots of expats and provide growth of various businesses. The local art scene is developing in the midst of fast and breathtaking prosperity in multiple fields, from real estate boom to cryptocurrency and hi-tech start ups.

Louvre Abu Dhabi, constructed by Pritzker laureate Jean Nouvele, is an indisputable landmark which perfectly embodies the idea of inclusivity, openness to all cultures and a meeting place of various civilisations` wisdom. The building interacts harmoniously with landscape, water and land, light and shade, covered by the architect with a huge dome, symbolising the Arab architecture. This is an example of how the design of the museum illustrates the policy of socio-cultural planning, with showpieces of Chinese Tang Dynasty, Ancient Greece and Medieval Europe meeting together in a choir of timeless references to key symbols of the world art as if proclaiming common uniting bound of various national cultures and civilisations.

Louvre is just one of three grand museums to be opened on Saadiyat Island in order to turn it into a museum cluster. Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry and Sheikh Zayed National Museum by Norman Foster are under construction here now, and one can already see how fast their immense frames are being built. Here in the cultural district the Abrahamic Family House was recently opened—a complex, projected by David Adjaye, consisting of a church, a synagogue, a mosque and an education pavilion. The Africa Institute in Sharjah, designed by Adjaye in UAE, is planned to be completed already this year.

The architectural landscape of Sharjah is becoming richer and more various. Besides the Library designed by Norman Foster, there are other places of interest: Wasit Nature Reserve (an example of sustainable minimalist architecture designed by a local bureau X-architecs), Buhais Geology Park, located 30 km from Sharjah (Hopkins Architects), Masra Al Qasba Theatre (Magma Architecture) as well as some older buildings, including King Faisal Mosque—an outstanding example of 1980-s Islamic Modernism (designed by Abdel Rahman Abdul Khafid Al Juneidi). Sharjah Foundation, well-known thanks to Sharjah Biennial, which turned 15 years this year, is located in a historical quarter in Al Mureijah Square that used to be inhabited until 1960-s. Now it serves a good example of careful restoration of traditional architecture, modified for showcasing of modern art. Special projects of this year`s Biennial also focused on the local Modernist historical artefacts: Souq Al Jubail designed by the British engineering company Halctow Group, The Flying Saucer, originally a restaurant built in 1978 by Ali Nuri Al Din Nassar in the shape of a multi-pointed star and subsequently restored by Sharjah Fund. HH Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Palace built in 1960-s in Al Dahid Oasis serves as another example of careful restoration of the Modernist legacy.

In addition to Biennial and reconstruction of architectural heritage, Sharjah Fund stages exhibitions of regional artists in the world’s most popular museums. Ambitions and capacities of the Fund are predominantly shaped by the figure of Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, who managed to turn Biennial into one of the key art venues and place of reflection on Global South, post-colonial history and to give voice to great many of artists from the regions that are often scarcely represented on the art map.

Okwui Enwezor became one of the most influential exhibitions curator, who supported Sharjah Biennial, seeing in it an immense potential to become a platform  of resistance to Western-centred art scene. He worked on the theme of Biennial, however did not manage to finish it. It was Enwezor, who this year`s Biennial was dedicated to, along with multiple projects that continue his study of colonialism and slavery as a curator in an attempt „to think historically in the present“. Biennial clearly deserves a separate discussion, however let me mention two major and in their own way distinctive works: the first is Isaac Julien`s installation Once Again, which explores legacy of Alain Locke and African Art collector Albert Barnes and is devoted to categorisation, cancelling and acceptance of Black artists and art pieces within the frames of art history. The second is a stunning project by Hajra Waheed—a sound pavilion projected by above-mentioned David Adjaye, which is a multi-channel installation, consisting of choir songs from the areas in America, Africa and Asia where mass insurrections were leaded by women.

Major venues in Dubai and Sharjah are linked to the influential Arab dynasties. For example, Art Jameel is established by collectors and philanthropists from Saudi Arabia. The fund creates exhibitions, research and educational programmes, being a part of the global organisation and global partnership network. One of its major projects was Taus Makhacheva`s solo exhibition, compared in scale to the one in Moscow museum of modern art. This summer Art Jameel hosts a big solo exhibition Polite Existence by Japanese artist Tsuyoshi Hisakado, dedicated to time, space and other natural forces that shape our everyday life. Group exhibitions hosted by Art Jameel are dedicated to creating and strengthening communities and sparkling discussions around pending regional issues such as sustainable development, postcolonial criticism, natural diversity and resources.

The most dynamic art venue in Dubai is Alserkal Avenue, established by developer Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal and reminding Winzavod in Moscow in terms of its structure. The main point of attraction here is Concrete pavilion by Rem Koolhaas, surrounded by modern art galleries with the most progressive ones—The Third Line, The Grey Noise, Carbon 12, Lawrie Shabibi. Each deals with the regional art and all of them are founded or co-founded by expats who came here at different times and under various circumstances. For example, Iranian gallerist Kourosh Nouri, founder of Carbon 12, looks with sympathy upon his Russian colleagues, reflecting on our state of things in 40 years.

Indeed, Dubai is made up of expats and immigrants, open to people with various cultural background, at the same time suggesting incorporation into the international community. Veronika Berezina from Saint Petersburg established Nika Project Space not far from Alserkal in rapidly gentrifying Al Quoz area. It is a gallery-like exhibition space that works intensively now as a contemporary art center focused on group curator exhibitions (first curators were Sarah Daher and Nadine Khalil), public programmes, essential bringing of artists and cooperation with galleries. At exhibitions in Nika one could see well-known to the Russian audience works by Olga Chernysheva, Nika Neelova as well as artists of different age from various parts of the world from Korea to Uzbekistan, Mexico and Algeria.

Russian gallerists look upon UAE as a potentially interesting destination, however many are stopped by a high business price and lack of experience in working on international scene. At the same time local art dealers do notice the numerous Russian audience that has emerged, pondering how to get its attention. Despite the fact that many galleries and cultural projects work for certain communities or try to position themselves as experts in a certain region, as, for example, the African art gallery Efie, no one yet managed to create a proposal targeting espicially the Russians and probably did not even put forward such a task. For example, Dubai gallery InLoco, that is ambitiously building a new big space in Al Quoz while opening digital twin exhibitions in meta universe, is showcasing in its spacious showroom in Downtown a project, dedicated to the local landscape. Among the participants is a group of Russian street artists—Maksim Ima, Dusto, Turben. But this fact is very restrainedly—if at all—promoted among the Russian-speaking community.

The hope is upon Russian-speaking professionals, who know what to suggest to the global community. Christianna Bonin, assistant professor of art at the American University of Sharjah and former contributing critic at Artforum Magazine in Russia has been appointed as an art director of the most influential regional fair Art Dubai. In her new role she wants to give to Global South, the central topic in art agenda of all the art institutions in UAE, a new dimension and look at «geopolitical landscape after 1940-s» which created «difficult cultural East-East and South-South ties».

Since the development of art scene in UAE is pretty dynamic, many art workers of the Russian origin are tempted to build a new career, rejecting their Russianness. But a chance for success most likely will get those artists and curators who are not ready to set aside their identity, will resist the temptation to blend into and will find power to tell an own story using the language of art.