Five UAE Artists Selected for 2017 Venice Biennale Pavilion

The United Arab Emirates has selected five artists to represent the country at the 57th Venice Biennale. The exhibition, titled "Sasso, carta, forbici: posizioni in gioco" (Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions at Play), explores recent artistic practices through the theme of play. The artists are Nujoom Alghanem (born 1962, poet and filmmaker), Sara Al Haddad (born 1988, textile artist), Vikram Divecha (born 1977 in Beirut, raised in India, works with video and installation with social connotations), Lantian Xie (born in China, raised between Bahrain and the UAE), and Mohamed Yousif (born 1953 in Sharjah, rooted in traditions, previously exhibited in Venice in 2015). The pavilion is curated by Hammad Nasar and will feature site-specific works. This marks the UAE's ninth year at the Biennale; their first participation was in 2008, and they debuted at the Architecture Biennale in 2014. The 2015 pavilion featured 15 artists at the Sale d'Armi dell'Arsenale. For 2017, the UAE has invited cultural institutions including Sharjah Art Foundation, NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Tashkeel, Maraya Art Centre, and Warehouse 421 as interlocutors. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is also set to open that year.