The UAE National Pavilion in Italy concludes its participation in the 2025 Architecture Biennale
Abu Dhabi, November 24 / WAM / Yesterday, the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates concluded its sixth participation in the International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale in Italy with the display “On a Low Fire”.
The exhibition, supervised by Emirati architect Azza Abu Alam, co-founder of Holsom Studio and assistant professor at the College of Arts and Creative Industries at Zayed University, under the slogan “Smart. Natural. Artificial. Collective.”, received 74,000 visitors in the pavilion since its opening on May 8, 2025.
The exhibition highlighted the role of architecture as a technical and social mediator over the course of seven months in Venice, where the team observed how the internal climate of greenhouses directly affects the growth of food and the care needed to sustain it, within the agricultural structures of the Venice Arsenale. The systems proved their flexibility in terms of construction mechanisms and techniques, proving their durability and ability to adapt.
The exhibition also demonstrated that assemblage operates interactively rather than as a static form, adapting to physical, social and environmental conditions. The open design of the structure fostered collaboration between visitors and researchers, while the central assembly table became an active site for the exchange of ideas, showing how human interaction and food production can intertwine in architectural space.
Azza Abu Alam, curator, said: “Throughout the exhibition’s activities, we did not see these assemblages as static structures, but rather as living, functioning systems that allow us to interact with their surroundings and with the people interacting with them. The lessons learned from Venice, from the flexibility of materials to the crop growth cycle, will guide us in how we adapt and reapply these prototypes in our climate contexts in the UAE.”
Laila Ben Brik, Director of the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates, said: “The ‘On Fire’ exhibition sparked a meaningful dialogue about how architecture can respond to one of the most pressing issues of our time: food security. Azza Abu Alam’s research and exhibition stimulated visitors to see architecture as more than just providing an agricultural structure, but as an active participant in shaping a sustainable future. We are proud to share this experimental project with a global audience, and look forward to following the development of his ideas and research beyond Venice.”
The National Pavilion continues to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the UAE and Italy through its internship program in Venice this year. The trainees participated in practical workshops in partnership with The Tidal Garden, a Venice-based research platform that explores how food systems adapt to environmental change. Held on the island of Sant Erasmo, the workshops combined field exploration of halophyte cultivation, shared meals, and meditation sessions, and investigated solutions to interconnected challenges, such as drought in the UAE and soil salinity in Venice.
Since its launch, the program has received more than 300 participants, providing them with a rich experience in exhibition management and cultural exchange. The exhibition is accompanied by a book entitled “Everything That Is Good: Architectural Recipes on the Backburner,” edited by Azza Abu Alam, and published by Dar KAF. It combines research, articles, and creative contributions, and deals with the intersection between architecture and food production over time, inspired by cookbooks and divided into five main chapters. The texts and illustrations shed light on agricultural practices in arid climates and others, presenting New perspectives on our relationship to food production, climate-resilient design, and urban infrastructure.
The virtual tour of the “On Low Fire” exhibition will remain available on the website of the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates.
The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates was established by commission from the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, and it has a permanent pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
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