London-based JD Malat Gallery will open its first Middle East branch in downtown Dubai in January 2025. The new 1,700 sq. ft. space will be located in the Opera District of Downtown Dubai, where it hopes to foster dialogue with the region’s emerging talent and local collectors.
The Dubai branch will be strategically located on a bustling thoroughfare near the Burj Khalifa, an area increasingly recognized as a fast-growing arts hub. Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates. The number of residents has surged after the epidemic, with more than 180,000 new residents since 2022. Dubai’s art scene is also expanding. Recent additions include NIKA Project Space, founded in 2023 by collector Veronika Berezina, and Efiɛ Gallery, founded in 2021 by the Mintah family. Other international galleries had their sights on Dubai as early as a decade ago, including New York City stalwart Leila Heller Gallery, which has been operating in the city since 2015.
“Our gallery’s vision resonates deeply with Middle Eastern collectors’ growing interest in international contemporary art,” said founder Jean-David Malat. “It is a privilege to see the work of the artists we represent exhibited in such a diverse cultural context. JD Malat Gallery Dubai provides us with an additional space to develop these careers and cultivate new ones.”
JD Malat Gallery plans to immediately partner with local and public art institutions and projects across the city. According to its press release, “The central location in the heart of Dubai supports the gallery’s ethos of transcending the gallery space to promote artistic advancement and cultural interaction.”
However, Marat told me that he had trained at Sotheby’s British “GQ”“I don’t think the Sotheby’s course is worth it. I learn more from experience. For me, success comes from connecting with people and attending auctions and exhibitions, rather than through academia.” With his own practical experience , Marat opened his eponymous gallery in Mayfair city center in 2018. Today, the gallery represents the work of more than 20 international artists, including Icelandic painter Katrin Fridriks, Swiss artist Conrad Jon Godly and American artist Ed Moses. He is also known for selling art to numerous A-list celebrities, including Madonna and Kate Moss.
