2019
Applications for the National Pavilion UAE’s 2019 Venice Internship now open
21 October 2018, United Arab Emirates: The National Pavilion United Arab Emirates (UAE) – La Biennale di Venezia has opened applications for the 2019 edition of the Venice Internship, which offers training opportunities to around 21 students and young professionals with an interest in arts, architecture, diplomacy, international relations or representing the UAE on a significant global platform. Selected interns will each spend one month in Venice managing the UAE’s exhibition at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale), which will take place from 11 May to 24 November 2019.
“The National Pavilion UAE proudly represents our country on the prestigious global platform of the Venice Biennale, and their internship is an exceptional program which instils real skills for the cultural leaders of tomorrow. I encourage all our young people who are interested in arts, architecture or culture to take advantage of this unique opportunity by applying for the upcoming intake,” said Khulood Al Atiyat, Manager of Arts, Culture and Heritage at the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, commissioner of the National Pavilion UAE.
The internship offers hands-on experience, where interns will spend one month in Venice overseeing the daily operations of the exhibition in Venice, as well as participating in an educational program, in partnership with notable cultural institutions in the UAE and in Venice, including workshops, lectures and studio visits, enabling interns to engage with the content of the exhibition and the dynamic cultural scene of the UAE.
Through the National Pavilion UAE’s ongoing partnership with Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University, a select number of Italian interns work alongside the UAE interns at the pavilion, supporting cultural diversity and exchange throughout the Biennale.
The Venice Internship program is open to Emiratis and long-term residents of the UAE aged 21 and above, with an interest or background in arts, architecture, diplomacy, international relations or representing the UAE and its culture on a significant global platform. Applications are available on the National Pavilion UAE’s website. Applications close on 3 December 2018.
Laila Binbrek, Co-ordinating Director, National Pavilion UAE, says: “The UAE is home to a wealth of talented, motivated and passionate young professionals, and the National Pavilion UAE is proud to offer a platform for training and opportunities. Since 2009, we have worked with almost 200 interns, many of whom are now making invaluable contributions to the nation’s cultural ecosystem as we develop into a global creative center.”
The 2019 International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale will be curated under the title “May You Live in Interesting Times”, a theme selected by Ralph Rugoff as a starting point for creative dialogues about truth, playfulness and uncertainty in art. Independent curators and academics Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath will curate the UAE’s National Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, marking the UAE’s sixth participation in the International Art Exhibition since 2009.
The National Pavilion UAE has also issued an open call for proposals to curate the UAE’s exhibition for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, which will run between May and November 2020. Potential curators – such as architects, designers, artists, historians or researchers with experience working in the UAE or MENASA region – are invited to submit a concept proposal for an exhibition that will explore an intriguing aspect of the UAE’s architecture or built environment and contribute to the understanding of and discourse around architectural practice. More information is available at nationalpavilionuae.org/open-call/.
For more information and to apply to the 2019 edition of the Venice Internship, visit nationalpavilionuae.org/venice-internship.
The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.