Venice conference explores Arab art and architecture

The 'Enhancing Arab Narratives: Pathways Between Biennale and Academia' conference was held on October 8 as part of the Biennale sessions programme - an educational initiative aimed at students and universities.

Supported by The New Arab and its sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the conference explored themes such as the growing presence and recognition of Arab artists at the Biennale, and the effects of global conflicts, such as Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, on art and culture, lived spaces, architectures of resistance and the cultural institutions that create public awareness. 

The event was organised by Alba Nabulsi, an educator and journalist, in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the University of Padua, with artists and experts in the creative industry contributing to the conference.

Deena Hammam, Audience Engagement Co-Curator at Qatar Museums, discussed the vision for the upcoming Art Mill Museum and Qatar Museums’ investment in nurturing and highlighting Arab culture.

She also presented the concept behind the Qatari pavilion’s Beyti Beytak ("My House is Your House") exhibition, which explores how hospitality shapes the built environment across the MENA region.

From domestic spaces to public places, the exhibition encourages people to think about how spaces reflect  shared values across communities and identities.

Beatrice Leanza, curator of the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, reflected on the curatorial process and its public development.

She spoke about the building of a public programme which highlights how new forms of educational patterns and cultural training have emerged due to the MENA region's grassroots networks in educational, cultural, and architectural spheres.

Professor Ruba Salih from the University of Bologna talked about decolonial horizons at a time when the Palestinian people are facing genocide.

A social anthropologist by training, she discussed how art and academia can contribute to justice and solidarity, and urged the audience to critically reflect on how space, displacement, and power are interlinked.

Visual artist Jasmine Barri discussed how her art reflects her family’s legacy and the issues of memory and identity within the Palestinian diaspora.

Artist and researcher Alessandra Ferrini explained more about her film Gaddafi in Rome: Anatomy of a Friendship, which analyses the complex relationship between Italy and Libya.

The film delves into Italy’s colonial history as well as the more recent migration agreements, exposing the continuities of injustices that have persisted throughout the decades and urging viewers to confront this dark legacy.

Ibrahim Fahkri, The New Arab’s creative manager and artist, spoke about The New Arab’s role in fostering nuanced critical discussion beyond mere art coverage and bridging scholarly insights, activism, and public understanding of complex themes like urbicide, resistance, and cultural memory.

Dima Bakri, a Palestinian mezzo-soprano singer, spoke to the theme of art’s connective power, highlighting a link between the 18th Century composer Antonio Vivaldi’s masterpiece 'Sorrowful Daughters of Jerusalem' and the current struggles of Palestinians living under occupation.

The conference also featured a focus on the works of DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency), founded by Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, as well as a presentation on the Majazz Project and the Palestinian Sound Archive run by Momin Swaitat, which further enriched the discussion.

Bringing together academic perspectives and artistic practice, the conference provided students with an invaluable opportunity to learn about the intersections between Arab art, architecture and lived experiences in the region, while engaging with Arab artists, scholars, and curators and experts from various Biennale pavilions.