21 UAE interns for Venice Biennale

abu dhabi — The National Pavilion UAE — la Biennale di Venezia has selected 21 interns from the UAE and seven from Italy to participate in the 2017 edition of the Venice Biennale, which runs from May 13 to November 26.

Each year, the National Pavilion UAE participates in the prestigious Venice Biennale with an exhibition exploring the arts or architectural practices of the UAE. With around 80 national pavilions participating and over half a million visitors expected to the 2017 edition, the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale is one of the world’s most significant cultural events. The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation.

The National Pavilion UAE’s Venice Internship offers the opportunity for interns to gain hands-on experience staffing the UAE’s exhibition in Italy. The 2017 exhibition will be titled ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play’ and explore the theme of playfulness in artistic practice through the work of five artists: Nujoom Alghanem, Sara Al Haddad, Vikram Divecha, Lantian Xie and Dr Mohamed Yousif.

Since its inaugural participation at the Venice Biennale in 2009, the National Pavilion UAE has worked with over 150 interns. Many former interns have gone on to pursue successful careers in the arts or architecture, including Sara Al Haddad, a Venice Internship alumna who has been selected to participate as an artist in the upcoming exhibition.