Senior appointments in new roles at Art Dubai Group further its mandate
- 18 Jan 2025
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
Art Dubai Group, one of the most experienced cultural programming companies in the Gulf, has announced two senior appointments to its leadership team, as it continues to build its profile in the region and expand internationally. Alexie Glass-Kantor, formerly Executive Director of Artspace, Sydney, takes on the newly created role of Executive Director, Curatorial, leading Art Dubai Group’s artistic vision and strategy across its arts platforms and Dunja Gottweis, former Global Head of Gallery Relations at Art Basel, becomes the Director of Art Dubai fair. They join Benedetta Ghione and Pablo del Val, in leading the company and its expanding programme of over thirty initiatives.
Alexie Glass-Kantor’s focus will be on growing partnerships and institution building, working with Art Dubai’s leadership team and in collaboration with Dubai government, to support local artistic programming and global exchanges. This includes leading on pioneering initiatives, including year-round commissioning and professional development programmes. Alexie will further strengthen Art Dubai Group’s international collaborations, championing the Gulf region’s art landscape on the world stage, and working in close dialogue with other cultural institutions and events in the region.
She brings extensive senior experience to the role, having served as Executive Director of Artspace (2013–2024), where she led a multi-million-dollar redevelopment ($19.8 million Australian), creating a state-of-the-art facility and establishing the Sydney-based institution as a global hub for residencies and international collaborations. Alexie takes up her new role in April 2025. Dunja Gottweis brings two decades of cultural experience, having lived in Europe, Asia and the US, working in the global art world. In 2005, she joined MAK, the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, executing regional and international projects and exhibitions in its space for art, design and architecture.
Starting at Art Basel 12 years ago, Dunja became the Global Head of Gallery Relations and joined the Management Board of Art Basel in 2022. She was responsible for overseeing engagement with galleries at Art Basel’s four fairs worldwide. She played an integral role in the launch of Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Basel Paris. She enters as an officer during Art Dubai fair’s third decade. Both new positions are based in Dubai, alongside existing senior teams. Benedetta Ghione, Executive Director, focuses on driving new business and corporate partnerships, and Art Dubai’s Artistic Director Pablo del Val, moves to focus on creating international opportunities for the company. Benedetta and Pablo will deliver the 2025 edition of Art Dubai fair (April 18-20, at Madinat Jumeirah), in advance of Dunja taking over the running of Art Dubai from its 2026 edition.
Ben Floyd, Co- Founder and CEO of the Art Dubai Group, said of the new appointments: “I am confident their respective skills and experience will complement Benedetta and Pablo’s, and that together they can continue to build on the growth that has marked our last decade and expand Art Dubai Group’s impact in the contemporary art world.” Alexie Glass-Kantor said that “for 20 years, the Art Dubai Group has championed cultural exchange and artistic dialogue, establishing itself as a cornerstone of the Gulf’s cultural landscape. This newly created role of Executive Director, Curatorial, represents an extraordinary opportunity to collaborate with the team and partners to amplify the voices of artists, and foster transformative partnerships. I am excited to build on the organisation’s ambitious projects, advocate for artists, and create pathways for global dialogue and connection. With a commitment to listening, learning, and collaboration, I look forward to contributing to the Art Dubai Group’s continued impact both locally and internationally.”
Alexie is also a curator and arts advocate and has curated across independent spaces, museums, biennials, and festivals, since 2000. As Executive Director of Artspace, Sydney, her tenure included partnerships with Palais de Tokyo (France), Dhaka Art Summit (Bangladesh), and Seoul Museum of Art (South Korea). She curated Marco Fusinato’s DESASTRES for the Australian Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale (2022). From 2015 to 2025, she has curated Encounters, the large-scale installation sector at Art Basel Hong Kong, commissioning projects by international artists such as Awol Erizku and Daniel Boyd. Major exhibitions include co-curating Parallel Collisions: 12th Adelaide Biennial of Contemporary Art (2012) and UN/LEARNING AUSTRALIA at Seoul Museum of Art (2021).
Dunja Gottweis said that “I am thrilled and humbled to be appointed Director of the Art Dubai Fair, the most significant art gathering in the Gulf, as I look to bring my skills and experience and apply them to a region which is bursting with opportunity. I look forward to working closely with the existing team and Alexie Glass-Kantor leading on a curatorial level and connecting with the Dubai art community as we work towards the 20th Anniversary of the Fair in 2026. Art Dubai, together with Art Dubai Group, creates opportunities beyond a fair, offering engagement with audiences 365 days that offers vast potential for Dubai, the Gulf and beyond.”
Art Dubai Group is a public-private partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) founded in 2007. The Group’s flagship initiatives include Art Dubai, the major global art gathering in the Gulf; Downtown Design, the region’s leading design fair; Dubai Design Week, the region’s largest design festival; Prototypes for Humanity, the world’s largest and most diverse assembly of academics addressing social and environmental challenges; and Editions, the Middle East’s first limited edition art and design fair.