Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim To Represent The UAE At 2022 Edition Of Venice Biennale
Curated by Maya Allison, the National Pavilion United Arab Emirates’ exhibition at the 59th edition of La Biennale di Venezia will showcase works from one of the founding leaders of the UAE’s contemporary art scene
The selection committee of the National Pavilion UAE has appointed painter, sculptor and land artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim to represent the UAE at the 2022 edition of the Venice Biennale. The artist chose Maya Allison, one of the leading experts on the contemporary regional art scene and Executive Director and Chief Curator of the NYUAD Art Gallery, as his curator.
Allison and Ibrahim have collaborated on past exhibitions such as The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery’s But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community 1988-2008. With this exhibition, the National Pavilion UAE is moving towards a more artist-led approach to curation in recognition of the strength of the UAE’s artistic community.
Ibrahim is one of the UAE’s earliest experimental artists and an influential member of the UAE’s avant-garde art community, which formed in the early 1980s. His handcrafted works are based on the natural landscapes of the UAE. Major international institutions like the British Museum, Centre George Pompidou and Kochi-Muziris have acquired his work.
“I am inspired by the coasts, sierras and mountain lights of my home in Khor Fakkan, where my family has lived for generations,” says the artist. “Here in the UAE we are surrounded by diverse and ancient landscapes as well as advanced urbanization. This tension is one of the concepts I explore in my work through organic materials, by allowing my subconscious to find the forms. I am delighted to be able to share my locally-rooted practice with a global audience at the Venice Biennale.”
Allison comments, “Ibrahim continues to innovate. He is one of the most important artists working in the UAE today, and has influenced generations of artists here. I am looking forward to an even greater international audience discovering this work with his solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale.”
The 59th International Art Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia will be held between April 23, 2022 and November 27, 2022 under the artistic direction of Cecilia Alemani.