National Pavilion UAE calls for concept proposals to curate UAE’s Venice Biennale presence

Dubai: The National Pavilion UAE is looking for proposals to curate the UAE’s exhibition for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, to be held between May and November 2023. Applications will close at midnight (UAE time) on October 31, 2021.

According to the organisers, “curators and curatorial teams — architects, designers, artists, historians or researchers with experience working in the UAE or MENASA region — are invited to submit a concept proposal for an exhibition that will explore an intriguing aspect of the UAE’s architecture or built environment that contributes to the understanding of and discourse around architectural practises locally, regionally and internationally”.

‘Sharing an untold story’

Angela Migally, executive director of Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and commissioner of the National Pavilion UAE, said: “The curatorship of the National Pavilion UAE’s 2023 exhibition presents an opportunity to share an untold story of UAE through the lens of architects at the forefront of contemporary global discourse and culture.

‘Making a lasting contribution’

“In creating a platform for ideas, the National Pavilion UAE remains committed to furthering global conversations about urbanism, architecture and living in the modern world. We encourage all interested professionals to apply and join us in making a lasting contribution to this global dialogue,” she added.

Past, present and future exhibits

In 2019, the National Pavilion UAE had presented an acclaimed installation, exploring the geographic and psychological displacement from filmmaker Nujoom Alghanem.

Innovative and sustainable cement alternative

This year, architects and curators Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto have been presenting research into an innovative sustainable cement alternative inspired from salt minerals found in the UAE’s Sabkha heritage sites.

Next year, the National Pavilion UAE’s exhibition will showcase works by ground-breaking painter, sculptor and artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim at the 2022 edition of la Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale).

Diverse perspectives

Laila Binbrek, co-ordinating director of the National Pavilion UAE, said: “We are delighted to announce our second open-call for the National Pavilion UAE at the Venice Biennale in 2023. For this round, we continue to seek out diverse perspectives and new voices and we encourage applicants to explore creative and collaborative ways to reflect the UAE’s contemporary discourse in a globally relevant way.”

Demonstrating local expertise

“Concept proposals should present the exhibition theme through a clear narrative that contextualises the idea within the local, regional and global industry discussions as well as previous National Pavilion UAE exhibitions,” she added.

How to apply

Emiratis, UAE residents and international applicants who can demonstrate local expertise, experience and understanding are all eligible to apply, individually or as teams.

Applications will close at midnight, UAE time, on October 31. Selected finalists will be invited to present a full proposal for the second round of the process. Full details and submission guidelines are available on the National Pavilion UAE website (www.nationalpavilionuae.org/open-call/).