Today: 25 May 2025
29 May 2023
3 mins read

‘The UAE’s political will to use culture is inspiring’

Lokko invites everyone to be “an agent of change”. Words like “laboratory, workshop, practices, practitioners” are recurrent terms in the Biennale’s wording…reports Asian Lite News

“The political will to use culture in an intelligent and thoughtful way is inspiring,” said Lesley Lokko, curator of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia Venice Architecture Biennale, referring to the UAE’s national policy and strategy.

On the sidelines of the International press conference held at the opening of Biennale Architettura 2023, Lokko expressed admiration for the artistic momentum many Arab Gulf countries are experiencing.

With regards to the first-ever Islamic Arts Biennale opened in Jeddah in January she said, “It was incredible, the level of energies, how arts and culture shape society.”

“Also in the UAE and Abu Dhabi, seeing the building of major architectures, this political will to use culture in an intelligent and thoughtful way is inspiring,” she told Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The theme of Biennale Architettura 2023, “The Laboratory of the Future,” aims to shine a spotlight on Africa and the African Diaspora, shifting the focus from the Eurocentric view. This is a perspective that the Scottish-Ghanaian architect, academic, and writer Lokko, the first curator of African origin, wanted to bring to international attention.

Lokko shared her emotions about the role that she was in, set to make history at the Architecture Biennale as the first curator with African origins, and her ambition to explore the continent’s impact on the globe. She said, “Growing up in Africa, I realised the world that I saw in literature, films, magazines, and the arts was not the world that I knew. It was not the world that I came from. So, my whole career, both in writing and in architecture, has been about bringing my world to this world. When an opportunity comes in a place like this to have a platform to talk about ourselves to the rest of the world, it is an opportunity you can’t turn down.”

Lokko invites everyone to be “an agent of change”. Words like “laboratory, workshop, practices, practitioners” are recurrent terms in the Biennale’s wording.

She added that the physical, almost tactile aspect of the exhibition is instrumental in enhancing critical thinking and, ultimately, shaping the future. “I have never understood words and things as separated. For me, language is physical, my favourite writers grapple with language. So the opportunity to tell a story was very much about words and images. Words are a bridge between imagination and the physical reality.”

Lokko commenting on the National Pavilion UAE’s exhibition, “Aridly Abundant”, curated by Faysal Tabbarah, discussed how Aridly Abundant investigates what architectural possibilities can become possible when we reimagine arid landscapes as spaces of abundance. The suggestions that come from distant places can be a source of great inspiration, she said. “I am very curious to see how other geographies, how being in another geography influences how we think about resources.”

“Airdly Abundant” exhibition by the National Pavilion is now open to the public at the UAE’s permanent space at La Biennale di Venezia’s Arsenale – Sale d’Armi, until 26th November, 2023. (By Guendalina Dainelli)

ALSO READ: Emirati Engineer named UAE Liaison for COP28  

Previous Story

Oman Sultan meets Raisi in Iran

Next Story

Challenge from China is complicated, says Jaishankar

Latest from Arab News

US Lifts Syria Sanctions

Syria faces fragile reconstruction path despite sanctions relief. On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license authorizing financial transactions with the interim Syrian government, the central bank, and state-owned enterprises.

EU lifts all economic sanctions on Syria

The European Union agreed to lift all remaining economic sanctions on Syria, hoping the relief will ease access to financial funds and speed up the war-battered country’s recovery after the fall of

UAE bakery aid reaches Gaza

The convoy is a crucial component of the UAE’s ongoing humanitarian strategy under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, which prioritises urgent food aid. A major humanitarian relief convoy has successfully entered the Gaza

‘Make It in Emirates’ boosts Dh11b projects

The event welcomed more than 122,000 visitors — a 20-fold increase over its previous edition — and drew participation from over 720 local and international industrial, financial, and technology entities. The fourth

UAE leads Arab health push in Genevaa

UAE Health Minister Al Owais highlights Arab unity at WHO Assembly, reaffirming commitment to global health, crisis response, and sustainable healthcare innovation for the future. The UAE underscored its regional leadership in
Go toTop

Don't Miss

DMCC attracts over 3k businesses to Dubai last year

The record growth was driven by prominent international demand, DMCC’s

UN envoy in Yemen’s Aden to discuss reopening of Taiz

UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg arrived in the