Application process opens for National Pavilion UAE’s 2020 Venice Internship

The application process for internships at the National Pavilion UAE’s exhibition at the 2020 Venice Biennale is now open.

The competitive application process will result in 21 students and young professionals from the UAE being selected to participate in the unique Venice Internship programme, which includes educational training like workshops, lectures and studio visits, as well as hands-on experience.

Each selected intern will spend one month in Venice between May and November 2020, with responsibility for managing and overseeing the UAE’s exhibition. Applications are open to individuals interested in arts, architecture, diplomacy, international relations or representing the UAE on this global platform.

The 2020 exhibition, curated by architects Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, will address the Biennale’s overall theme of ‘How Will We Live Together’ by exploring how salt from the UAE’s sabkha could be used as an environmentally sensitive alternative to modern construction materials.

2018 Venice Intern, Naser Al Nachas, now Senior Planner at DUPM, Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities, says: “The Venice Internship is an exceptional opportunity to harness skill and knowledge about cultural exchange. Representing the UAE on a global platform gives us the opportunity to learn more about other cultures and allows us to appreciate the impact that diverse practices have on artistic visual expression while embracing the region’s heritage and nourishing our creative understanding.”

The Venice Internship program is open to Emiratis and long-term residents of the UAE aged 21 and above. For more information and to apply, visit nationalpavilionuae.org/venice-internship. Applications close on 20 November 2019.

The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, with a permanent pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s Arsenale – Sale d’Armi. 2020 marks the UAE’s tenth exhibition at the Venice Biennale since 2009 and its fourth participation in the International Architecture Exhibition.