Dawn Images

Pakistani artists Hamra Abbas and Imran Qureshi are among the participants in the inaugural edition of Frieze Abu Dhabi, scheduled to take place in November. The international art fair is expanding its presence in the Gulf with a programme spanning gallery presentations, public sculpture installations, and curated exhibitions.

Abbas will participate through Dubai-based gallery Lawrie Shabibi, while Qureshi’s sculpture ‘Water Bodies’ (2026) will feature in Frieze Sculpture Abu Dhabi, an outdoor exhibition at Mamsha Beach on Saadiyat Island. The sculpture will be presented by Thaddaeus Ropac.

The fair, organised by Frieze in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, will run from November 19 to 22 at Manarat Al Saadiyat. More than 80 galleries from 36 countries and regions are expected to participate in the inaugural edition.

The inclusion of Abbas and Qureshi brings two distinct practices from Pakistan’s contemporary art scene into the fair’s wider international programme, which seeks to connect artists across generations and geographies.

Abbas’s participation through Lawrie Shabibi places her work within the fair’s gallery presentations. Known for a practice spanning sculpture, installation, stone inlay, photography, and other media, Abbas has explored questions of representation, identity, faith, and cultural memory. Her work frequently draws on historical and religious imagery, examining how visual traditions acquire meaning across different contexts.

Qureshi, meanwhile, will be represented in the fair’s public sculpture programme. Renowned for his large-scale compositions and site-specific installations, Qureshi often explores the relationship between violence and beauty, and between destruction and regeneration.

His participation in Frieze Sculpture Abu Dhabi will place this practice in a public setting beyond the conventional gallery space. The outdoor programme will run from November 16 to December 16 at Mamsha Beach. The exhibition is intended to explore connections between material, ecology, and place, bringing contemporary sculpture into the everyday environment of Saadiyat Island.

The inaugural edition comes as Abu Dhabi continues to expand its cultural infrastructure and international art programming. For Pakistan, the participation of Abbas and Qureshi provides two points of entry into a fair whose programme encompasses established gallery presentations as well as public commissions and curatorial initiatives.