The First Annual Global Art Forum, hosted by Art Dubai, brought an international group of over forty artists, curators, dealers, museum directors, critics and academics together for three days to focus on issues affecting art and the arts community, with the consideration of the Middle East as a driving force. Bringing an open forum to an Art Fair is often a complex balancing act, as the commercial aspects of an art market often challenge the positions of artists, curators and exhibition organizers. The DIFC Global Art Forum hopes to reconcile these diverse perspectives and map out the constellation of ideas and opinions defining art today and in the future. The central themes of this year's Forum are Artists and Their Work, The Next Ten Years of Contemporary Art in the Middle East and Cities and Culture. The present publication includes forum proceedings, speakers' biographies and speakers' statements.