Azza Aboualam has been appointed curator of the National Pavilion UAE for next year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, becoming the first Emirati woman to hold the position.
The architect’s selection comes a decade after she interned at the pavilion during the 2014 Venice event. “I am delighted to see an alumna of the Venice Internship programme returning as curator 10 years later,” said National Pavilion UAE director Laila Binbrek. “This speaks to our continuing commitment to the arts and culture ecosystem in the UAE, and the ways the National Pavilion UAE nurtures both the UAE’s cultural legacy and its future.”
Aboualam's return to the National Pavilion UAE as curator brings her “full circle”.
She said: “As an intern, I was absorbing everything, learning from people, from every experience and interaction. I'm excited to be able to come back and be able to contribute in a very different way.”
A professor at Zayed University, Aboualam was selected following an open invite to academics and artists. A committee featuring figures from across the country’s creative sector reviewed the proposals.
Aboualam said her proposal was crafted carefully to reflect the knowledge and material culture of the UAE. Hinting at what the pavilion might be like, she said her research revolves around “local food production methods and its overlap with the architecture and built environment”.
Her proposal stems naturally from past and continuing research. She has worked with the UAE’s Ministry of Culture’s Architecture Initiative, publishing her field research in the 2019 book In Search of Spaces of Coexistence: An Architect’s Journey.
“In that book, I actually went to about 150 or 160 buildings around the UAE just to document them, just to see how architecture and society can overlap within a built structure or the theme of coexistence,” she said.
Aboualam has contributed as a researcher to Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai (2020) and Building Sharjah (2021). She is also a co-founder at the Sharjah and New York-based Holesum Studio, which she established in 2021 with fellow Yale University graduates Dimitri Brand and James Coleman. The studio draws from historical, sociological and environmental research to design objects and spaces that promote engagement with the wider environment.
There are parallels, between Aboualam’s past work and the research she is conducting for the National Pavilion UAE, chiefly in her explorations of environmental and communal coexistence.
UAE Minister of Culture Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi said the National Pavilion UAE would “showcase innovative research from the UAE, bringing fresh perspectives to the international stage. It is heartening to see our nation’s brightest minds and their compelling narratives resonating and engaging with people worldwide.
“The exhibition, a collaborative effort between the Ministry and the National Pavilion UAE, will showcase our nation's rich cultural legacy and forward-thinking approach in tackling global issues that concern us all.”
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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HOW TO WATCH
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The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
