The Minister of Culture opens the UAE pavilion in the Venice Biennial

Venice on May 8/ WAM/ His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture, opened today the activities of the national pavilion of the UAE at the nineteenth international exhibition of architecture in the Venice Biennial with an innovative exhibition titled “On a Calm Fire” from the evaluation of Azza Abu Alam, the assistant professor at Zayed University, the participating institution and the director of research in the Holsum Studio.

The exhibition “On Calm Fire” raises a central research question “using the United Arab Emirates as a case study, how can architecture contribute to enhancing food security?

This question comes in light of the increasing challenges facing traditional agricultural systems as a result of climate change, such as soil degradation and high temperatures.

Depending on the archival and contemporary archival research in the UAE, the exhibition explores ways to respond to these challenges by presenting architectural proposals for agricultural houses structures.

The exhibition places the agricultural scene in the Emirates within a broader global context, looking for the possibility of supporting architectural thinking of various and flexible food production practices at the individual and societal levels.

The exhibition was developed “on a quiet fire” using a three -dimensional research methodology that combines archiving research, field work and practical experience and construction.

The project offers criteria for a set of parts for building agricultural houses designed for hot and dry climate.

His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi stressed in an opening speech the importance of the event and said that architecture constitutes our interactions with the environment, and has the ability to push the wheel of sustainable solutions to the future and confirms the participation of the national pavilion of the United Arab Emirates in the Biennial of the Architecture 2025 Our commitment to the global dialogue on the innovation in design, and the exhibition is highlighted by “quiet fire” the contribution of local design solutions in building new horizons for urban life Sustainable.

His Excellency added that over the years, the national pavilion of the UAE has become a vital platform to display the depth and diversity of the creative and intellectual scene in the UAE, and with each session, the pavilion continues to support local talents, promote cultural exchange, and consolidate the position of the UAE an effective contributor to global dialogues on architecture, art and design and embodies the growing appreciation of the wing of the dynamic and developed nature of the cultural scene in the country, and its commitment to drawing Features of a sustainable and connected future through creativity.

For her part, Angela Majali, Executive Director of the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, said that through our long -term partnership with the national pavilion of the UAE, we continue our commitment to providing a space for purposeful dialogues that inspire new ideas and enhance ties, and growth, understanding and dialogue constitutes basic pillars in the continued development of the architecture, arts and exceptional culture in the UAE, and we are happy to explore “On low heat” because of its visions about flexibility and the role of design in shaping a more sustainable future.

In turn, Laila bin Brik, Director of the National Pavilion of the UAE, said that the wing continues its pioneering role in shaping the cultural scene of the state, and enhancing its impact and heritage through initiatives that support the architectural dialogue in the country, and this is evident in the march of Azza Abu Alam, which joined the wing trained in 2024, and this year’s exhibition provides a new critical perspective that has not yet been followed in this scope a proposal to a technical approach And practically for future architecture, multidisciplinary, closely related to the reality of the climate of our time.

For its part, Azza Abu Alam, the technical valley, said that in light of the continuous transformation of the agricultural world and facing the increasing threats of climate change, the challenges of food and water security are increasingly urgent, especially in the Gulf region, and while the prevailing global visions of food security are often focused on technological innovation, the exhibition proposes a “on a quiet fire” alternative, which is a responsibility to create responsibility Shared for local societies.

In turn, Professor Michael Allen, Acting Vice President of Zayed University, said that the partnership between Zayed University and the national pavilion of the United Arab Emirates is an example of our commitment to supporting creativity through research, education and cooperation, and we are very proud to support the pioneering work of the Emirati engineer Azza Abu Alam, a assistant professor at the College of Arts and Creative Industries at Zayed University in the project “On Calm Fire”, which explores the advanced relationship between architecture Food production in the UAE .. This project allows our students and faculty members a direct opportunity to interact with innovative architectural research. This partnership shows how bold ideas and academic innovation can translate into a realistic influence with local roots and global echo.

The exhibition is accompanied by a leaflet entitled “All that is delicious and delicious: architectural recipes on low heat” from the liberation of Azza Abu Alam, and it is published through Dar Kaf, and combines research, articles and creative contributions, and deals with the overlap between architecture and food production over time, which is inspired by cooking books and divided into five main chapters.

The texts and illustrations highlight agricultural practices in arid climates and others, introducing new views on our relationship to the production of food, adaptive design with climate, and urban infrastructure.

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