Unveiling the artistic journeys of Abdullah Al Saadi at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, entitled ‘Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere’ and curated by Adriano Pedrosa.
‘Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by Ismail Noor of Seeing Things.
In this interview, Tarek Abou El Fetouh, the curator of the National Pavilion UAE at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, delves into the intricate layers of the exhibition titled ‘Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’. This showcase highlights the profound work of Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi, whose artistic practice spans various mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography. Through his journeys into the wilderness, Al Saadi captures the essence of memory, landscape, and personal history, offering viewers a contemplative experience. The exhibition’s themes resonate with the ancient traditions of Arab poets, while the immersive exhibition design reimagines the artist’s studio, inviting visitors to explore his unique narrative and creative process. The National Pavilion UAE aims to contribute to global cultural dialogues, enriching contemporary discussions through this evocative and deeply personal presentation of Al Saadi’s work.
ART AFRICA: Could you tell us more about the exhibition’s title and the featured artist representing the National Pavilion of the UAE at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia?
Tarek Abou El Fetouh: The exhibition ‘Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’ highlights the work of Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi. His diverse practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, and photography. By using found objects, creating new writing systems, and documenting his experiences, Abdullah offers a rich and reflective body of work that encourages viewers to contemplate their connections to the world around them.
At the heart of his practice, Abdullah is a wanderer, chronicler, cartographer, poet, memory carrier, and storyteller. His practice is centered around his journeys into the wilderness, where he uses different modes of transport and spends time camping at various locations. He meticulously chronicles each journey, resulting in a series of unique artworks in form and material.
Moreover, his work is deeply rooted in the UAE’s landscapes and his family history, capturing the intricate relationships between individuals, their natural surroundings, and their social environments.
The exhibition’s title reflects his exploration of memory and forgetting and the dynamics between manifestation and disappearance. In a complex artistic, sensorial, and intellectual process, Abdullah chooses some experiences to manifest and others to disappear. For instance, he created a metal chest with levers that allow only a partial view of the landscape when the canvas is rolled. This movement reflects his journeys into the nature surrounding his hometown, Khor Fakkan, while also drawing attention to the interaction between sites of memory and sites to forget.
‘Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by Ismail Noor of Seeing Things.
How many artworks is Abdullah Al Saadi presenting at the exhibition, and what themes do they explore?
‘Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’ explores Abdullah’s artistic journeys through eight distinctive artworks, comprising 456 pieces in total. They offer a reflection on his decades-long artistic practice, conjuring the atmosphere of the artist’s studio along with his ritual practices, reflections, and associations that have formed over many years.
Most of the drawings and paintings in this exhibition depict landscapes Abdullah has visited and immersed himself in. They often include buildings (homes, schools, mosques), utility poles, roads, vehicles, trees and shrubbery, hills and animals.
Two journeys, The Gramophone Journey in Al-Houra and The Gramophone Journey by Bicycle, are new works, while the remaining six, Al-Toubay Journey, The Slipper’s Journey, The Purl and Silk Journey, A Journey in the Footsteps of Camar Cande, A Journey in the Footsteps of Camar Cande by Car and The Sufi’s Journey by Bicycle, date back several years.
‘Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by Ismail Noor of Seeing Things.
How does Abdullah Al Saadi’s creative process during his journeys relate to the practices of Arab poets, as described in the exhibition?
Historically, the practice of wandering in the wilderness is rooted in an ancient poetic tradition dating back to the two centuries before the advent of Islam in the Peninsula, extending from the pre-Islamic poets to the Abbasid period and beyond.
In the context of the Arab culture in which Abdullah was raised, his journeys present a contemporary iteration of a tradition common among poets whose wanderings in nature-inspired their verse. These poets often began their poems with descriptions of their natural environment viewing nature as a gateway to their inner experiences and reflections.
Abdullah’s practice mirrors this ancient tradition by creating a sensory, affective, and aesthetic interpretation of the land over a distanced and objective record. His immersive approach seamlessly integrates with the traditions of past poets, contributing to a rich historical continuum and collective memory.
Abdullah Al Saadi at his studio. Courtesy of the National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by Roman Mensing.
How do visitors interact with the artworks, and what additional elements are in the exhibition space?
The staging of the exhibition sought to re-enact the experience of visiting Abdullah’s studio and discovering the artworks as he revealed them. The pavilion’s interior architecture uses materials similar to those he uses within his studio, leaving the walls of the historic building bare.
Some of the artworks in vitrines are arranged in a museum display format, and the remaining works are hidden in large metal chests that the artist regularly uses in his studio. We wanted to re-stage the ritual of opening these metal chests to show scrolls, stones, and aged sweet tins in the presence of performers for the whole duration of the exhibition.
These performers are professional actors and students from the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy who are also participating in the pavilion’s Venice internship program. They offer stories and respond to the audience’s interests to create unique memories through a web of narratives, concepts, and poems from the artist’s diaries. These function as performed readers for the exhibition. Each story contains several chapters and leads to another, contributing to an immersive, evolving experience of Abdullah’s artistic practice.
The performance delivers a sense of immediacy and intimacy. I hope this experience leads to many new stories and multiple new directions for interpretation.
‘Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by Ismail Noor of Seeing Things.
According to His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi and Laila Binbrek, how does the National Pavilion UAE aim to contribute to the global dialogue about contemporary issues through its participation in the Biennale Arte?
For the National Pavilion UAE, participating in the prestigious Biennale Arte and Biennale Architettura is a great opportunity to share the untold stories of the UAE through the lens of art and architecture. It also provides a platform to engage in dialogue on current issues and envision future aspirations.
The National Pavilion UAE plays a crucial role in enriching dialogue, building community partnerships, and collaborating with cultural institutions. This year, we worked with the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy, the UAE’s only performance university, and alongside historians and philosophers our exhibition offers a new perspective on interpreting art from the region.
By creating these various connections and actively contributing to the UAE’s evolving creative ecosystem, the National Pavilion UAE effectively raises awareness and interest in contemporary issues and culture. Culture is a powerful vehicle for engaging people in discussions about culture, innovation, and values without the barrier of relying on spoken language alone.
The exhibition will be on view until the 24th of November, 2024. For more information, please visit the UAE Pavilion.
