The 17th Abu Dhabi Art is a valediction, the last statement the fair will make before it rebrands as Frieze Abu Dhabi next year.

For the event’s art director, Dyala Nusseibeh, it is a moment to take stock of how much it has accomplished. Since its inception in 2007, Abu Dhabi Art has sought to break out of the traditional art fair template. Its talks, workshops and programming have been vital in nourishing the art ecosystem in the UAE. They have championed the next generation of artists and helped spotlight under-represented art histories from the region, connecting it with the global discourse.

Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art, says this year's fair is three times more comprehensive than its smallest iteration. Victor Besa / The National

The concluding run of Abu Dhabi Art, running at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 19 to 23, represents a culmination of these ambitions. More than 140 galleries from 37 countries are represented this year, a record for the annual fair. But the growth isn’t just quantitative. A key part of the fair has been about challenging West-centric narratives, and this year’s fair exemplifies this mission, particularly in the focus sections dedicated to the Gulf, Turkey and Nigeria.

“I think this is increasingly becoming a space where Abu Dhabi can lead,” Nusseibeh says. “It’s important to have different centres for the art market, alongside critical research and knowledge production.”

The Nigerian focus is a good example of how these different components work “hand in hand”, according to Nusseibeh. Presented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy of Nigeria, the section underscores a shared ambition between the UAE and Nigeria.

The Chief: He Who Sold Africa to the Colonists (1997) by Nigerian artist Samuel Fosso. Victor Besa / The National

“They've centred the creative economy as being important to their future growth and development as a nation,” Nusseibeh says. “It is parallel to what Abu Dhabi is doing.