{"id":47969,"date":"2023-10-09T18:16:24","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T14:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/?p=47969"},"modified":"2023-10-11T18:15:19","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T14:15:19","slug":"abdullah-al-saadi-to-represent-uae-at-2024-venice-biennale-arte-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/abdullah-al-saadi-to-represent-uae-at-2024-venice-biennale-arte-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Abdullah Al Saadi to exhibit for UAE at 2024 Venice Biennale Arte 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UAE will be represented by the eminent Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. Currently in planning, Abdullah\u2019s solo exhibition will be curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considered a key figure in the development of contemporary art in the UAE, Al Saadi (born 1967) is one of the Pioneer Five group of conceptual artists who almost single-handedly inspired the Emirates\u2019 art scene of the 1980s \u2013 the others being Hassan Sharif, Hussain Sharif, Mohammed Kazem, and Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Two of those have been featured as solo exhibitors at the National Pavilion UAE in Venice. Al Saadi more than holds his own in such illustrious company, and arguably is the most Emirati of the five: his practice is informed by the landscape of Khor Fakkan, where he lives and works, and he has created a distinctive body of work connected to the landscapes of the Arabian Peninsula. His prolific output ranges across painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, photography, found objects, and whole new alphabets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI draw my inspiration from my own story, my family history, and my environment,\u201d Al Saadi has said. \u201cMy art is the result of interactions with places, people, ideas, and aesthetics that I encounter every day where I live and in my journeys. I find myself driven to document these experiences visually or in written diaries and contemplations, seeking to transfigure the ordinary with the passage of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translation is central to Al Saadi\u2019s work, as seen for instance in his elaborately devised symbol systems. This typically involves collecting, indexing, and archiving, echoing the precision and methodologies of scientific classification,; the results invite us to consider how tradition affects us and the changing relationship we might have with the physical world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His fascination with preserved historical manuscripts is expressed in Al Saadi\u2019s Diaries<\/em> (2016), a project presented in Venice in 2017 at the 57th Biennale. Other notable works include Stone Slippers<\/em> (2013), a collection of slippers made out of stone accompanied by drawings, a visual metaphor of the life of a wanderer who is constantly travelling in search for something longed for but which remains elusive. My Mother\u2019s Letters 1998-2013<\/em>, shown in his solo exhibition at Sharjah Art Foundation in 2014, is a poignant collection of objects left by his mother during visits to his studio \u2013 subtle markers of her presence in lieu of a written message, triggering in the artist the drive to create alternative alphabetical systems. Continuing his longtime engagement with nature and travel, Al Saadi presented The Purl and Silk Journey<\/em>  (2015) at Sharjah Biennale 13, an array of scrolls and drawings that were produced during two related trips near his home. And for Expo 2020 Dubai, Al Saadi produced a permanent public installation in a seating area called Terhal<\/em> \u2013 map-like paintings from different perspectival orientations on rocks from Fujairah’s Wadi Tayybah. The stones are organised according to his own symbolic code, in an invitation to discover a kind of poetic archaeological language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Al Saadi to us that his appointment was “a tremendous honour that carries significant responsibilities” and he spoke about “an incredible opportunity to share a new story from the UAE, and incorporate it into the wider conversations explored at the Biennale”.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tarek Abou El Fetouh (right) curated the Public Art Programme at Expo 2020 Dubai. He will also be the curator for Al Saadi\u2019s solo Biennale show. “We journeyed together in thinking the work [Trehal] and I became close to his process,” he told us. “We went together to Wadi Tayybah where he shared his approach with me, how he selects his camping location, the natural elements and objects he works with … I have a huge respect for Abdullah\u2019s practice and his diligent dedication to his work, which always manages to surprise me.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere he describes Abdullah\u2019s practice as \u201ca continuous engagement with changing environments as well as personal and cultural histories, creating points where they meet and interweave \u2026 In his rich and diverse artistic practice, whether drawings, maps, diaries, or objects, Abdullah\u2019s visual language remains recognisable through his passionate longing for immersion in nature; he constructs a unique relationship with landscapes, which goes beyond the familiar.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al Saadi himself commends “Tarek’s deep understanding of my process and work” and says “there is trust and a combined ambition to best represent the UAE on this global stage, which is why I chose him as my curator”. Apart from their personal relationship, Tarek Abou El Fetouh looks like a good pick; he\u2019s well established locally, known for creating institutional platforms that provide opportunities for contemporary artists in the region through commissions, co-productions, touring projects, residencies, and events. He\u2019s been working in the UAE since 2009, when he was appointed one of the curators of Sharjah Biennial 9; he\u2019s subsequently curated major exhibitions regionally and internationally, did the Durub Al Tawaya performance programme at Abu Dhabi Art between 2013 and 2018, and is currently Senior Curator and Director of the Performance Department at Sharjah Art Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Laila Binbrek (left), Director of National Pavilion UAE, said \u201cIt is incredibly gratifying to include [Al Saadi\u2019s] work once again in this year\u2019s Pavilion\u201d and is looking forward to \u201csharing yet another untold story of the UAE in 2024\u201d through his work \u2013 indeed, he told magpie<\/strong> that “it’s a moment of pride for us to be part of the team representing the UAE on the international art world\u2019s map” and Binbrek added “I have no doubt that these two heavyweights will unearth a new perspective on the creative scene of the UAE”. Al Saadi, is a prominent figure in the contemporary art discourse of the UAE, together with Abou El Fetouh, his chosen curator, who brings 25 years of experience within the cultural landscape of the region, this pairing will bring a fresh viewpoint on the development and future interpretations of the contemporary art scene in the UAE and the region”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing the art of the UAE to the world is the remit of the National Pavilion, and in that it has done rather well. Check out the names involved: Lamya Gargash was featured in 2009, the National Pavilion UAE\u2019s first outing. 2011 had Abdullah Al Saadi alongside Reem Al Ghaith and Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum. 2013\u2019s exhibit was the terrific Walking on Water<\/em> multimedia show by Mohammed Kazem. For 2015, Hoor Al Qasimi presented a group show of 15 Emirati artists from different decades highlighting the emergence of art practices in the UAE; again, Abdullah Al Saadi was one of them. The next Biennale had another group show, this time five artists exploring playfulness in their practices. Passage for 2019 was an immersive site-specific AV installation by Nujoom Alghanem, another hit with the public. And last time out it was again a popular success, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim\u2019s biomorphic sculptures curated by Maya Allison as a show titled Between Sunrise and Sunset<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As usual, the exhibition will be on view in the Sale d\u2019Armi at the Arsenale. The 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will run from 20 April to 24 November 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UAE will be represented by the eminent Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. Currently in planning, Abdullah\u2019s solo exhibition will be curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh. Considered a key figure in the [… more]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,204,229,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-art","category-biennial","category-curating","category-exhibitions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}