Wetland Lab: Curator Talk

Co-curator Wael Al Awar will share the research journey in this talk in preparation for their exhibition Wetland. This exhibit is for the National Pavilion of United Arab Emirates at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale opening May 2021.

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Prior to the pandemic, curators Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto of the UAE National Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia were studying sabkhas—a sturdy ecosystem of natural salt flats indigenous to the UAE. The crystallization of salt in sabkhas inspired the pair to explore, in collaboration with scientists in Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, a renewable alternative to Portland cement, the production of which accounts for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

The results of their ongoing quest will be exhibited during Alserkal Art Week in a show entitled Wetland Lab, before going to the UAE National Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale opening May 2021.

The National Pavilion United Arab Emirates La Biennale di Venezia is commissioned by Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Youth.