The National Pavilion United Arab Emirates was first involved with la Biennale di Venezia International Art Exhibition four years ago, with a presence at the 53rd year’s national pavilion. Ever since, it has participated in the exhibition’s subsequent editions.
This year’s 56th Venice Biennale, which opened in May, runs until November. As one of the world’s most acclaimed festivals of art, architecture and film, the National Pavilion UAE is a natural part of the artistry. And it is in top, royal form – Its ambitious exhibition features 15 Emirati artists and over 100 pieces, showcasing and igniting conversation over the newest and best contemporary art from the region.
The contemporary retrospective, 1980 – Today: Exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates, will be displayed on an elevated floor and a free-standing, mobile showcasing design including a specialised hanging system, allowing for both a deliberate consciousness for the National pavilion’s historic Arsenale – Sale d’Armi walls, as well as a uniquely customised presentation of these relevant artworks.
“For these archival exhibitions, curators travel the world to discover overlooked artists and art scenes,” said 1980 – Today curator Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi. “This exhibition – and its accompanying publication – invites viewers to make connections directly between objects, historical archives, and the collective memory they represent. The resulting discourse is both personal and collective.”
Those connections, which the exhibit so tactfully implores its audiences to explore, are the very axes upon which art and its appreciation revolve. They are the relevance and the resilience and the goodness of art, and they are brought to us in this exhibit of utmost importance, with origins in a region whose art and artists are all too overlooked.
Image via the National Pavilion United Arab Emirates
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