The decommissioned Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport is a landmark of regional modernism designed in the late 1970s by celebrated architect Paul Andreu. Photo: Nomad
The decommissioned Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport is a landmark of regional modernism designed in the late 1970s by celebrated architect Paul Andreu. Photo: Nomad
The decommissioned Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport is a landmark of regional modernism designed in the late 1970s by celebrated architect Paul Andreu. Photo: Nomad
The decommissioned Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport is a landmark of regional modernism designed in the late 1970s by celebrated architect Paul Andreu. Photo: Nomad

What to expect from Nomad Abu Dhabi as the travelling art fair makes regional debut


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

Even in its decommissioned state, Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport remains an important example of modernist architecture in the region, as well as a symbol of UAE’s modernisation. Now, it is going to be the site of a unique international art and design fair.

Nomad Abu Dhabi will be running at the terminal from Wednesday until Saturday, and marks the first time the event is being held in the region.

Nomad has been described as an upscale alternative to the traditional art fair template. It was established in 2017 by Canadian-Italian architect Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte as a travelling showcase for contemporary art, collectable design and cultural exchange.

Part of what achieves that latter aspect are the sites that the event takes place in. In Monaco, it was held in a historic villa. In Venice, it took place in the Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel, a 15th century gothic structure. In Cannes, it was in Palais Bulles, designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag and owned by Pierre Cardin. In Capri, it was in Certosa di San Giacomo, the oldest historical building on the island. In St Moritz, it was held across several locations, including an aristocratic house, as well as a hotel with stunning mountain and lake views.

Built in the early 1980s, Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport remains a symbol of UAE’s modernisation. Photo: Nomad
Built in the early 1980s, Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport remains a symbol of UAE’s modernisation. Photo: Nomad

In each of these cities, the event has sought to offer an intimate format, with artworks and collectables curated in a site-specific manner. The architecture of the selected locations is a key component of the fair. As Nomad marks its regional debut, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the event will respond to the modernist grandeur of Terminal 1.

The structure opened in 1982. It was designed by a French architect. Paul Andreu, who was also responsible for Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris and Terminal 3 at Dubai. The airport’s most striking feature is the huge tent-like roof, as well as the interior covered with tiles and Islamic patterns.

Gallery booths will be presented alongside site-specific presentations that respond to the airport's architecture. Photo: Nomad
Gallery booths will be presented alongside site-specific presentations that respond to the airport's architecture. Photo: Nomad

About 21 galleries and institutions will be taking part in the event. Local participants include The Third Line, The AP Room, Leila Heller Gallery, Nika Project Space and We Gallery. However, there is also a significant international footprint, with galleries from Cairo, Ibiza, Athens, Milan, Istanbul, Paris, Tunis and Florence, as well as others taking part.

The fair will also go beyond the gallery booths with Special Projects, or site-specific and collaborative activations. For instance, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council – an organisation that works with female artisans from across the UAE and the wider Middle East, North Africa, South and South-east Asia regions – will unveil the Tilad Collection, in collaboration with Mexican artist Ricardo Rendon. Iwan Maktabi will present When Earth Dreamt in Gold, a solo exhibition by Hechizoo, the high-end textiles atelier from Colombia.

Inloco Gallery will bring the Golden Container to Nomad Abu Dhabi. Leslie Pableo for The National
Inloco Gallery will bring the Golden Container to Nomad Abu Dhabi. Leslie Pableo for The National

Design collective Super Loop will present Fluid Echoes, a collection that blends regional traditions of mother-of-pearl inlay and hand-carved wood within contemporary furniture pieces. Inloco Gallery, meanwhile, will bring their Golden Container to the venue, a cargo container covered in gold leaf and transformed into a space for paintings and artworks.

Nomad Abu Dhabi at Terminal 1, Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi; November 19-22; www.nomad-circle.com

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"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)

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"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson

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"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)

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"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)

Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)

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"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

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"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)

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"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019

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It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

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Birthday: February 22, 1956

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Updated: November 20, 2025, 5:03 AM