Robert Zhao Renhui per il Padiglione di Singapore

 Image: Robert Zhao Renhui and Haeju Kim, 2023. Artist and Curator of the exhibition at the Singapore Pavilion 

at the 60th International Art Exhibition–La Biennale di Venezia. Photo: Courtesy of Robert Zhao.

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Artist Robert Zhao Renhui and curator Haeju Kim to represent Singapore at Biennale Arte 2024

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Singaporean artist Robert Zhao Renhui and curator Haeju Kim as the artistic team for the Singapore Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Recognising the museum’s expertise as a leading contemporary art institution in Southeast Asia, SAM has been commissioned by the National Arts Council to organise the Singapore Pavilion for this edition.
Image: Robert Zhao Renhui and Haeju Kim, 2023. Artist and Curator of the exhibition at the Singapore Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition–La Biennale di Venezia. Photo: Courtesy of Robert Zhao.

Robert Zhao Renhui is an interdisciplinary Singaporean artist whose work has been exhibited in biennales and institutions around the world. Working in installation, photography, video and sculpture, Zhao explores the complex relationships between nature and culture, with an interdisciplinary approach to constructing layered narratives of the natural world, uncovering the experiences of the beings and objects that constitute the living world and enrich our collective existence.

Haeju Kim is a Senior Curator at SAM who focuses on contemporary art practices in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia. Her curatorial approach emphasises the consideration of the body, time and memory as key elements, while also engaging with topics including ecological perspectives, locality and its planetary connection, and questions of coexistence through her research.

National Arts Council
The National Arts Council champions the arts in Singapore. By nurturing creative excellence and supporting broad audience engagement, our diverse and distinctive arts inspire our people, connect communities and profile Singapore internationally. We preserve our rich, cultural traditions as we cultivate accomplished artists and vibrant companies for the future. Our support for the arts is comprehensive – from grants and partnerships to industry facilitation and arts housing. The Council welcomes greater private and corporate giving to and through the arts so that together we can make the arts an integral part of everyone’s lives. For more information on the Council’s mission and plans, please visit www.nac.gov.sg.

Pavilion of Singapore 
60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Sale d’Armi, Arsenale, Venice

Abdullah Al Saadi al UAE Pavilion

Photo By Ismail Noor of Seeing Things  

L'artista Abdullah Al Saadi rappresenterà la UAE alla prossima edizione della Biennale di Venezia, con la curatela di Tarek Abou El Fetouh

Photo By Daryll Borja of Seeing Things

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Abdullah Al Saadi to represent the UAE in an exhibition curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh at the Biennale Arte 2024

Biennale Arte 2024 will mark our thirteenth exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. The National Pavilion UAE’s committee has appointed Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi to represent the UAE in a solo exhibition at the 60th International Art Exhibition. For this participation, Al Saadi selected Tarek Abou El Fetouh to curate his upcoming exhibition set to open in April 2024. For full details on the upcoming participation of the UAE at La Biennale di Venezia, 

With less than two months left before Aridly Abundant concludes, please look out for upcoming talks and workshops lead by the curator Faysal Tabbarah and contributors of the accompanying publication across our social media channels.

The National Pavilion UAE issued an open call for proposals for the curation of the UAE’s upcoming exhibition at the Biennale Architettura 2025. We would like to thank everyone who submitted their proposals. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by the National Pavilion UAE in November 2023 to discuss next steps. 

In other news, we are looking forward to this year’s edition of Abu Dhabi Art, which features Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, National Pavilion UAE’s 2022 Featured Artist, as the fair’s visual campaign artist who will be creating a new work for “Commissioned works in Cultural Sites” as part of the fair alongside National Pavilion UAE’s 2019 artist Nujoom Al Ghanem.

Aridly Abundant exhibition’s accompanying publication, In Plain Sight: Scenes from Aridly Abundant Landscapes, is now available for sale

 The National Pavilion UAE’s current exhibition, Aridly Abundant, curated by Faysal Tabbarah, investigates what architectural possibilities can become possible when we reimagine arid landscapes as spaces of abundance.

The exhibition’s accompanying publication, In Plain Sight: Scenes from Aridly Abundant Landscapes, co-edited by Faysal Tabbarah and Meitha Almazrooei, is available for purchase online and at the La Biennale bookstores. Conceived as a travelogue, the publication is a reference to travel and expedition literature which has historically portrayed arid environments in a homogenous manner as spaces devoid of life.

The travelogue includes research by the curatorial team, as well as photographs, scientific essays, travel stories, fiction, and poetry contributed by academics, architects, artists, geographers, and researchers based in the region.

Contributors to the publication include Ahmed Makiya, Geographer and Editor; Alia Al Sabi, Writer and PhD candidate; Aziza Al Chaouni, Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and the founding principal of the design practice Aziza Chaouni Projects; Deepak Unnikrishnan, Author; Dalal Musaed Alsayer, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Kuwait University; Ibrahim Nehme, writer and multimedia creator; Kevin Mitchell, Professor of Architecture at the American University of Sharjah; Mohammed Mahmoud Al Naggar, Egyptian Architect and Writer; Omar Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, JD-PhD candidate at Harvard University; Rand Abduljabbar, Artist, Writer, and Researcher; Reem Falaknaz, Photographer; Samar Halloum, Architect and Researcher; and Wesam Al Asali, Assistant Professor at IE School of Architecture and Design.

Aridly Abundant exhibition is on show until 26 November 2023 in Venice and is also available to view online via a virtual tour available on the National Pavilion UAE website.

Calling the next generation of UAE’s cultural practitioners to join National Pavilion UAE’s Venice Internship

Our landmark Venice Internship is an exciting one-month opportunity for students and young professionals to assist with the UAE's exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia, which is set to take place from 20 April to 24 November 2024. Apply for the program and be part of a tremendous networking opportunity and a hands-on experience which enables you to engage fluently with the content of the exhibition in Venice. To learn more about the internship program and eligibility criteria, we invite you to visit our website. You can also meet the team in person and learn first-hand about the program by registering in the following information session:

Date: 22 October 2023

Time: 15:00

Venue: Miza, Abu Dhabi

Register here.

Where to find National Pavilion UAE in the coming months

Photo By Ismail Noor of Seeing Things 

Where to find National Pavilion UAE in the coming months

In the coming months, members of our team, as well as past and present curators, will be participating in talks and events across the UAE, as follows:

8-10 October, catch the team at Creative Careers Days at Jameel Arts Centre

23 October,17:00, Talk, Aridly Abundant curated by Faysal Tabbarah at American University of Sharjah

22-26 November, catch the team at Abu Dhabi Art at Manarat Al Saadiyat

22 November, 18:30,Talk; Abdullah Al Saadi and Tarek Abou El Fetouh at Abu Dhabi Art at Manarat Al Saadiyat

To stay up to date with ongoing activities and talks, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Massimo Bartolini e Luca Cerizza per il Padiglione Italia

 Il Ministero della Cultura ha nomitato l'artista Massimo Bartolini e il curatore Luca Cerizza per ili  Padiglione Italia della Biennale Arte di Venezia 2024, selezionato fra una rosa di candidati pervenuti a seguito del bando pubblico, partecipavano alla selezione  Lorenzo Balbi, Ilaria Bonacossa, Lucrezia Cippitelli (e Davide Quadrio), Jacopo Crivelli Visconti (in cooperazione con Marcella Beccaria, Giovanni Carmine, Alfredo Cramerotti, Arturo Galansino), Ilaria Gianni, Luigia Lonardelli, Luca Lo Pinto, Matteo Lucchetti e Paola Nicolin.

Il curatore lavorerà in stretto contatto con il nuovo direttore generale Angelo Piero Cappello sul tema della "comunità".