ArtDayME: The National Pavilion UAE announces the appointment of Azza Aboualam, Emirati architect and Assistant Professor at the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises at Zayed University, as curator of the UAE’s participation in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2025. Research by Aboualam will be exhibited in Venice and supplemented with an accompanying publication. In 2014, Aboualam was a Venice Intern at the National Pavilion UAE’s debut participation in the 14th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia with the exhibition Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the UAE, curated by Dr. Michele Bambling.

Aboualam was selected through the National Pavilion UAE’s open call, the third of its kind. The open call invites new voices, including architects, designers, artists, historians, and researchers who have worked or studied in the UAE and elsewhere in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) regions, to highlight an untold story from the UAE that contributes to a global discourse on architectural practice. Following an initial request for concept proposals, shortlisted teams were invited to develop their ideas into a full proposal. A Selection Committee composed of leading figures from the UAE’s creative sector, including representatives from universities, museums, and government, convened to review all proposals and selected three finalists to present their ideas in person. After intense deliberations, the committee nominated Aboualam’s proposal as the winner. Each iteration of the National Pavilion UAE’s open call process provides an opportunity to broaden the search for new voices and perspectives on the UAE and further establishes the country as an incubator and accelerator for creative ideas.

Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Culture, said: “The Ministry of Culture endeavours to boost local talent and present the UAE’s cultural and creative output globally. We proudly announce Azza Aboualam as the curator for the next architecture exhibition hosted by the National Pavilion UAE. The exhibition will showcase innovative research from the UAE, bringing fresh perspectives to the international stage. It is heartening to see our nation’s brightest minds and their compelling narratives resonating and engaging with people worldwide.”

Sheikh Salem added: “The exhibition, a collaborative effort between the Ministry and the National Pavilion UAE, will showcase our nation’s rich cultural legacy and forward-thinking approach in tackling global issues that concern us all. We commend the National Pavilion UAE’s tireless efforts to elevate and share our nation’s unique stories with the world, and our joint commitment to fostering talent and expanding their reach globally.”

Azza Aboualam said: “I am honored to have been selected to curate the National Pavilion UAE. My 2014 internship inspired me to specialize in the overlap of architectural design and research by pursuing my master’s degree at Yale, and it is deeply fulfilling to return to Venice ten years later as a curator. I am grateful to the Commissioner, the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, and to the National Pavilion UAE for giving me a platform to present UAE-based research on a topic that binds us all: food. Presenting this work on the global stage is a remarkable opportunity, especially contributing to the architectural discourse on a stage like the Biennale Architettura 2025.”

Laila Binbrek, Director, National Pavilion UAE said: “The National Pavilion UAE is dedicated to telling untold stories of the UAE, and this year we are thrilled to feature the research of Emirati architect Azza Aboualam. I am delighted to see an alumna of the Venice Internship program returning as the curator of the National Pavilion ten years later. This speaks to our ongoing commitment to fostering the arts and culture ecosystem in the UAE, and the ways the National Pavilion UAE nurtures both the UAE’s cultural legacy and its future.”

Alongside her role in academia, Azza Aboualam is a co-founder and director of research at Holesum Studio, an interdisciplinary architecture and design practice based between New York and Sharjah. Her scholarly interests include the intersection of memory, architecture, and society in the Middle East and North Africa region, and she has worked with the UAE Ministry of Culture’s Architecture Initiative, which published her field research, sketches, and writing in the book In Search of Spaces of Coexistence: An Architect’s Journey (2019), edited by Dr. Alamira Reem Al Hashimi and Adina Hempel.

The National Pavilion UAE will present its exhibition for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition from 10 May to 23 November 2025 (pre-opening on 8 and 9 May). The Biennale Architettura 2025 will be curated by Italian architect, engineer, and educator Carlo Ratti with the title Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.