The UAE will host a national pavilion for the second time at the 54th Venice Biennale, the international art exhibition, to be held from June through November 2011.

After a hugely successful entry at the world’s most universally recognized and prestigious contemporary art exhibition in 2009, UAE has selected esteemed Turkish writer and educator Vasif Kortun as the pavilion’s curator.

Kortun is a writer, curator and teacher in the field of contemporary visual art, and lives and works in Istanbul where he has greatly influenced the local and regional art scene.

He is the programmes and research director of a new intra-disciplinary institution to open in 2011 in Istanbul and was the founding director of several spaces including Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center, Proje4L Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Museum of the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New York.

“The UAE National Pavilion in Venice did more than celebrate the emergence of the country on the cultural stage, it offered both an artistic and intellectual contribution to the Venice Biennale—one that successfully reflected, and encouraged critical thinking and artistic practice in and about the UAE,” said Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development.

The UAE Pavilion continues to be developed and presented under the leadership of its commissioner, Dr Lamees Hamdan, a member of the board of directors of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.

“One of the main objectives of the pavilion is to strongly communicate internationally the depth of contemporary art practices in the UAE, and to provide a foundation to support the nation’s diverse and developing art scene,” said Dr Hamdan.

Through the national pavilion, the UAE will yet again take pride in showcasing its work and artists to the world, representing the country through its imminent artistic development.

Details of the featured artists and the exhibition program will be announced in late 2010 or early 2011, a statement said.

The Venice Biennale today includes the official pavilions of more than 70 nations since its inception in 1895. Its international art exhibition draws more than 300,000 influential visitors from around the world. – TradeArabia News Service