National Pavilion UAE at the Biennale Arte 2024 announces Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, by leading Emirati conceptual artist Abdullah Al Saadi curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh

• The National Pavilion UAE is presenting eight artworks by Abdullah Al Saadi, curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh, currently Senior Curator and Director of the Performance Department of Sharjah Art Foundation.
• The artist is considered one of the key figures of the founding contemporary art scene in the UAE.
• Titled, Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, the solo exhibition stems from the artist’s chronicled journeys into the wilderness, and invites visitors to look into his creative process.
• The 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will open to the public in Venice, Italy on April 20 and runs until November 24, 2024

6 February 2024, United Arab Emirates: The National Pavilion UAE (United Arab Emirates) announces its upcoming exhibition at the Biennale Arte 2024 titled Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia. The exhibition will present eight artworks, produced by Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi, a conceptual art pioneer in the UAE, featuring his journeys into the wilderness. Curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh, currently Senior Curator and Director of the Performance Department of Sharjah Art Foundation, Abdullah al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia  proposes to look at his creative process in relation to the practices of Arab poets centuries ago. Al Saadi starts to draw, paint, or write during his journeys once he feels immersed in nature.  Similarly, classical Arab poets described this immersion as the process leading up to the composition of their poems.

This exhibition marks the National Pavilion UAE’s eighth participation at the Biennale Arte. The 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will open to the public between 20 April – 24 November 2024.

Visitors are invited to enter Al Saadi’s singular world and discover both the displayed  art pieces and others hidden in metal chests. In a re-enactment of the artist’s ritual with visitors in his studio, a selection of the hidden artworks will be revealed by performers who are constantly present in the space. The chests store maps, stones, scrolls, and drawings that Al Saadi produced during his journeys and that he numbered, dated, and coded as if creating and preserving a collective memory for the future.

His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture, said, “As one of the world’s largest and most important contemporary visual art exhibitions the International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia is a significant platform for UAE’s homegrown talent to showcase their work on a global stage.

“By presenting UAE-based artists and architects at the forefront of international contemporary culture, the National Pavilion UAE has successfully driven global discourse around locally relevant issues through these exhibitions since 2009.

“We are proud of what our creatives have achieved over the years. Not only have they made a mark in the world of art highlighting the UAE’s growing role on the global art circuit, but have also played a key role in forging closer ties with other countries.”

His Excellency continued: “Curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh, the exhibition will feature Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi’s artworks inspired by the UAE’s landscape, ancient national heritage and his own family history. We look forward to a thought-provoking exhibition inspiring global dialogue about contemporary issues.”

Artist Abdullah Al Saadi said, “I draw inspiration from my environment during my various journeys. I always like to travel alone, with the company of a specific book, music, animal friends, or means of transportation. The presence of these travel companions has a significant impact on my artworks, as they accompany me during my exploration of the land and humankind’s place in it.”

Curator Tarek Abou El Fetouh said, “I am pleased to be working with Abdullah again and to discuss his work process in depth. I worked on the exhibition to show the persistent and diligent work he has been engaged in for over 40 years. The exhibition will be performative, summoning the atmosphere of Abdullah’s studio in a re-enactment of his rituals of archiving and showing his work to visitors. The exhibition design as well is inspired by his artworks. An accompanying publication will present a novel reading  of his practice, which I hope will contribute new perspectives on the art practices in the UAE and the region.”

Laila Binbrek, Director, National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia, said, “Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia will present important artworks by Abdullah Al Saadi, who has been pivotal to the UAE’s long-standing contemporary art community since the 1980s. Through this exhibition, the National Pavilion UAE highlights a member of the UAE’s remarkable community of well-established conceptual artists as we continue our commitment to reveal the untold stories of the UAE.”

The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Culture, with a permanent pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s Arsenale – Sale d’Armi.