Performances

Art Dubai Projects also presents a series of commissioned interactive performances situated around the fair, which reflect on its format and economy. In 2012, selected artists included Manila-based Carlos Celdran and Köken Ergun (from Istanbul). 
 
Carlos Celdran, 'Livin' La Vida Imelda: Arts and Culture, Disco, True Story'
Carlos Celdran’s performative tour of the fair invited audiences to join him for seven acts in seven different parts of Art Dubai, performed through the week of the fair. Each selected site at the fair became a starting point for an entertaining and engaging commentary that dwelled on the intersection between geopolitics and contemporary art. 

Carlos Celdran is a Filipino performance artist who, for the last ten years, has been doing performative oral histories of the city of Manila through multi-media one-man shows in heritage sites around the Philippine capital. His works explore the Philippines’ post-colonial issues and the constructs of Filipino identity. Carlos Celdran has taken his performances to Canada, performing his Intramuros History tour at Rolly's Garage Gallery in Ossington Street (2009), at the Harbourfront (2011) and in Vancouver (2011). celdrantours.blogspot.com
  
Köken Ergun
Istanbul-based artist Köken Ergun collaborated with Dubai based singer Melisa Le Rue and pianist Stoyan Stoyanov to produce a commentary on the fair programme, delivered via the most familiar of pop songs, the typical fodder of a hotel bar. The project was produced in collaboration with The Fridge and featured Dubai-based singer Melisa Le Rue and pianist Stoyan Stoyanov.  

 
Born in Istanbul, 1976, Köken Ergun studied acting at the İstanbul University and completed his postgraduate diploma degree in Classics at King's College London, followed by an MA degree in Visual Communication Design at the Bilgi University. After working with American theatre director Robert Wilson, Ergun became involved more with contemporary art, specifically video and performance. Some of his work includes Tanklove (2008) in which he reacts to the military coups d’états Turkey experienced between 1960 and 1980, and Wedding (2007) which details the immutable rituals of marriage that perpetuate the hetero-patriarchal system. More recently, in Ashura (2011), Ergun focused on the Ashura rituals of the Shi'ite minority of Istanbul. indexofworks.com 
 
Artists commissioned in 2010-11 include Qatari writer-artist Sophia Al Maria (aka SciFi Wahabi: Take a tour from the future at Art Dubai 2010), Daniel Bozhkov (The Fastest Guided Tour of Art Dubai (a run through 10,000 square metres of creative production in 40 minutes without missing a significant gallery or work of art), Abhishek Hazra (Cantordust Touring Machine), Malek Helmy (Chorus on Fair Dust),  and Khalil Rabah with his bespoke sedan chair tour (Fair View).