Art and Play to Combine in Venice

In its capacity as Commissioner of the National Pavilion UAE, and in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, the Foundation was pleased to announce Hammad Nasar in October as Curator for the UAE’s upcoming participation in the 57th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia in 2017. The event will mark the fifth time that the UAE has participated in this prestigious international arts event since 2009. Under Nasar’s curation, the exhibition will explore playfulness in artistic practices in the UAE, where it comes from and how it is nurtured.

Nasar is a respected curator and writer with extensive experience in the international arts world. He is currently the Head of Research and Programmes at Asia Art Archive in Hong Kong and, among a diverse portfolio of international posts, serves on the Advisory Panel of Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. He has previously curated or co-curated exhibitions at a wide range of international institutions including Asia Art Archive, the Nasher Museum, Duke University, Johnson Museum, Cornell University, Pacific Asia Museum, Whitechapel Gallery and Fotomuseum Winterthur, the British Museum, Whitworth Art Gallery, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

For the UAE, the Venice Biennale is a high-profile platform to showcase previously untold aspects of Emirati art, culture and architecture. The Biennale hosts exhibitions from over 80 countries for six months and during each art Biennale more than 400,000 people visit the UAE’s exhibition.

For further information on the National Pavilion UAE please visit http://nationalpavilionuae.org