The fourth annual Bastakiya Art Fair was held from 15 – 21 March 2010 and was organised by XVA Gallery. BAF 2010 proved a great success with unprecedented attendance levels and positive reviews. Please see the Press section for coverage of the event.

BAF was created by Mona Hauser, owner of XVA, and renamed from the Creek Art Fair in 2009. BAF is Dubai’s only fringe art fair, focusing on promoting emerging Middle Eastern contemporary art. BAF is timed to run parallel to Art Dubai annually and the Sharjah Biennale every alternate year.

BAF 2010 took place in Bastakiya, providing a wider celebration of the arts in Dubai’s unique heritage area. BAF 2010 was under the patronage of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (DCAA), also located in Bastakiya. This year BAF opened opens sixteen traditional houses within Bastakiya to the public. Involving twenty three local, regional and internationally-based participants, BAF included exhibitions by individual participants, galleries and Internationally-acclaimed curators. The programme of events included daily exhibitions, movie screenings, book readings, performance art and a series of brunch talks curated by Rose Issa.