Aridly Abundant

The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) opens Aridly Abundant at the 18th International Venice Architecture Biennale. The exhibition is curated by Faysal Tabbarah who was selected following an open call. The exhibition will be on view until November 26, 2023 at the Pavilion’s permanent space at the Arsenale—Sale d’Armi, with an accompanying virtual tour available here.

Aridly Abundant addresses the misconception that arid spaces are spaces of scarcity to highlight the thriving ecosystems that have always been present in the UAE and its surrounding areas, supported by land-based practices developed by inhabitants who understood the land. With a specific focus on the desert plateau and coastal plains in and around Al Hajar Mountains, the exhibition aims to bring back these practices to the forefront as climatic conditions exacerbate the challenges associated with aridity around the globe. Faysal Tabbarah explains, “Our research integrates land-based practices with contemporary technology such as 3D scanning and 3D printing to present the potential of stone construction as an adaptable and sustainable form of architecture for countries affected by climate change to explore and adapt to their own environments.”

For the exhibition, Tabbarah has transformed the pavilion into an environment that exhibits the ongoing spatial, material, and tactile qualities of aridly abundant landscapes. A series of stone assemblies are inserted into the space, acting as devices that exhibit the multitude of tactics of assembly that have been identified in Al Hajar such as dry-stacking, tethering, and blurring. Audio/visual vignettes by commissioned artist Reem Falaknaz narrate her own experiences of her exploration, while travelling through the mountains, with the editors, contributors of the publication as well as on her own, allowing one to experience the environment of Al Hajar.

The exhibition includes a large-scale drawing of the landscape and material culture of Al Hajar, telling eight stories about the tactics observed in the fieldwork to ground the exhibition in the context of the UAE. The drawing highlights the relationship between the stone assemblies in the exhibition space with Falaknaz's audio/visual vignettes. To demonstrate that the tactics found in the UAE can be translated and employed in other contexts, the assembly methods have been applied to discarded stone fragments from quarries within the Veneto region in Italy.

Speaking about the importance of the exhibition, Director of the Pavilion Laila Binbrek says, “Adapting to climate change has been a growing source of concern around the world and Faysal’s research not only allows us to provide a locally-informed perspective but also possible provocations to this problem as aridity becomes a new reality for many.” 

The accompanying publication, In Plain Sight: Scenes from Aridly Abundant Landscapes, co-edited by Faysal Tabbarah and Meitha Almazrooei, is conceived as a travelogue through aridity. With voyages across time, space, and ideas, the book aims to recast the genre of travel and expedition literature, challenging the ways in which arid environments have historically been depicted. The book is available for sale at the La Biennale Book Stores and available online. 

Faysal Tabbarah worked on this project with his curatorial research team consisting of American University of Sharjah (AUS) alumni.  The National Pavilion UAE will announce its next open call for the 2025 exhibition later this summer across its social media channels and website.

We would like to thank the following organisations for their support of the exhibition: Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, Commissioner; UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth, Supporter; American University of Sharjah; International Center for Biosaline Agriculture.

For press enquiries please contact, npuae@brunswickgroup.com.