Art is completely subjective and making a conscious decision to nurture your collection means you have to do your homework. If you’re armed with the right research, you’ll avoid purchasing something that’s not completely ‘you’ or passing up on something you love because you weren’t sure.

Find out what you love!

A good starting point is to really dig deep into working out what kind of art you love. Going along with trends and what’s popular right now is highly unrecommended – chances are, in a few years or even months, you will come to realise that the piece you opted for isn’t in line with your true preferences. Head to galleries, pop ups and exhibitions, take in your surroundings when walking around exciting arty areas, study the art in hotels you stay in and start to recognise what excites and pleases you.

Your style

Keep in mind that what you like might also evolve. There’s always something to learn when it comes to art so you might find that your taste becomes more sophisticated or more geared to a style of art you hadn’t fully explored before. Studying art has no end, continue to research different styles and techniques to ensure you are equipped with as much information as possible when making purchases.

As well as familiarising yourself with the different art styles you like, also ensure you’re exploring different artists. On your journey to discovering which pieces you like; you might just find an emerging artist you’ve never heard of.

What’s the story?

When first selecting a piece of art, regardless of whether you’re an expert or an amateur in the art scene, I would strongly advise to look beyond what is going to match the couch in your living room. Artists exhibiting in art fairs put their hearts and souls into each piece of artwork – strike up a conversation with the artist or their representative to hear the story and find one you can relate to. By doing this, the art and its narrative will stay with you forever. I also find regaling these stories to admirers of pieces I own is one of my favourite elements of collecting art.

For love or for money?

Another key step is to determine the reason behind your purchase. If you’re looking to buy something purely for décor, that’s different to searching for something for an investment. When searching for an investment piece, price shouldn’t be the most important factor, the fact that canvas work is more valuable than art created on paper is an example of something that needs to be considered when buying for investment.

When looking for art for your home, you of course need to keep a budget in mind but also be prepared to spend a little extra – don’t break the bank, but don’t keep yourself too constricted, particularly if it’s something you either really love, or plan to use as an investment.

Homework time!

Always be sure to research the site of the fair before attending. Even if you are a regular attendee to big art events, it might still be overwhelming once you step in. Also ensure to research which artists are going to be there and find out where their stands are, at least then you have an idea of what to expect.

Finally, don’t forget to bear in mind that size does matter, so make sure that the artwork you like will fit in your apartment or on that specific empty wall!

What’s On

World Art Dubai provides the perfect venue to start your art collection, with more than 2,000 artworks curated from a local and international collection of solo artists and galleries. As the only retail art fair to go live this year, World Art Dubai will implement all necessary measures during the show to ensure safety of visitors, including regular disinfection and clearly marked and defined entry and exit areas. Tickets are available online. Additionally, World Art Dubai has partnered with fynd.art to provide visitors with a contactless experience via their smartphone. Through the website, visitors can receive information about artwork exhibited, artists and galleries.