UAE Pavilion announces new curator for Venice Biennale 2023

The UAE National Pavilion has announced Faysal Tabbarah as the new curator of the 2023 Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition.

He was selected from a range of designers, architects and thinkers who submitted proposal Addressing the Biennale’s theme “Labs of the Future”.

Tabbarah, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Architecture American University of Sharjahpreviously working with the curators of the Kuwait Pavilion in 2021.

His research proposal for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice explores the relationship between architecture and arid landscapes in the UAE, reimagining these arid regions as fertile and productive spaces.

in an interview NationalTabbarha said the project proposes the existence of deep terrestrial knowledge bases in arid and semi-arid landscapes, which challenges their representation as extremely scarce spaces.

“These landscapes are actually already rich,” he said. “Thus, one of the main goals of this project is to highlight this wealth of knowledge and to look for opportunities to combine it with contemporary technological advances, and by doing so, expand the relevance of these practices in the face of intensifying climate change.”

The upcoming Biennale, curated by Ghanaian-Scottish architect, academic and author Lesley Lokko, invites architects and practitioners to imagine what the future might hold. Venice 2023 will be the UAE’s 12th participation at the event since 2009 and its fifth at the International Architecture Exhibition.

Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said the country remained committed to supporting the UAE National Pavilion in Venice. She added: “Tabbarah’s project will certainly contribute to a thriving construction industry in the UAE. At the ministry, we believe in empowering our creatives to contribute to the overall and sustainable development of the country.”

Meanwhile, Angela Migali, Executive Director of Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, said: “For many years, the UAE National Pavilion has been dedicated to showcasing by sharing curated stories. The mission of the best art and architecture practice in the UAE. On one of the most important global stages in the world, the Venice Biennale.

“The pavilion has always been a platform for thought-provoking research and exhibitions, and we look forward to exploring the results of the Tabbarah project, which addresses the timely real-life challenges we see around the world today due to climate change.”

Tabbarha said his approach, which represents an emerging attitude in the architectural discourse of the global South, proposes “architectural provocations and solutions” that link historical land-based knowledge and contemporary technology as a means of generating Cultural and environmental context of the built environment.

He also draws on his work at the American University of Sharjah. “I am continually working with students across computational tools, emerging technologies, materials research and historical archives. These approaches will inform my approach to designing the National Pavilion,” he said.

Laila bin Blake, Coordinating Director of the UAE National Pavilion, said Tabara brought a unique perspective to discussions around architecture and its responsibility to the environment we live in.

She added: “We believe that studying our landscapes, understanding them, questioning them, will help us build a better future, not just for ourselves, but hopefully this line of inquiry will open up a line of inquiry similar to those faced around the world. Conditions and together we can find solutions and create a better future.”

Last year, the UAE Won the National Golden Lion Award for Best Participation for its exhibition wetlands. Commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, the UAE National Pavilion has a permanent pavilion at the Armoury of the Venice Biennale – Sale d’Armi.

The country’s current exhibition at the 2022 Venice Biennale is Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim: Between Sunrise and Sunset, curated by Maya Allison. It features sculptural forms composed of 128 abstract and organic elements created by Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim. It will be on display until November 27th.

The UAE is a country “thriving in experimentation, exploration and innovation,” Binbrek said. She added: “Winning the Golden Lion last year was a huge honour and privilege for us and the curatorial team, and I believe it is a testament to our existing processes that allow our chosen curators to be at their best. .”

She said the National Pavilion is an important platform to share the UAE’s story not only with the world, but also within the UAE. “We’re still a young, fast-growing country, and it’s important that we start documenting some of those changes,” she told National.

“Over the years, we have been able to support and publish first-hand research on a variety of stories that add to local and international conversations. Every year, we push our curatorial team to further ask deeper questions, or more’ Suppose’, to get a page from Lesly’s book.”

She asked: “Is the UAE capable of going beyond and amplifying stories from other regions? Maybe? At the moment, I believe we have a lot of stories to explore in the UAE, which will keep us busy for a while.”

The UAE National Pavilion will host the 18th International Architecture Exhibition from 20 May to 26 November next year.For more information on UAE participation in the Venice Biennale, please visit Nationalpavilionuae.org

scroll through pictures UAE Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 the following