The first full year of the project as A.i.R Dubai was in 2012 and included three Emirati artists, Zeinab Alhashemi, Hadeyeh Badri and Nasir Nasrallah, along with three international artists Magdi Mostafa, Deniz Üster and Fayçal Baghriche and curator Alexandra MacGilp. Over nine weeks, the seven shared ideas, stories, space and food in House Number 11. An open studios exhibition presented the artists' responses to the neighbourhood, the larger city of Dubai, and most importantly, each other. Additionally, the international artists created site-specific works for Art Dubai Projects.

Images of the 2012 open studios and commissions were published online by Nafas Art Magazine.