Pavilion of Kuwait at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition

The Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts, and Literature (NCCAL) announces its fifth national participation at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia. The pavilion titled ‘Rethinking Rethinking Kuwait’ explores new methods for architectural and urban design that emerge from the intersections of space and time. The project is an ongoing investigation attempting to rectify the effects of modernist urban planning that led to the erasure of most of Kuwait’s historic built fabric.

The pavilion, located at Magazzino Del Sale N.5, explores ideas of decolonization and decarbonization by rethinking means of transportation and accessibility. The project looks at Kuwait at a national scale with a focused study on Kuwait City as a prototypical condition. The exhibition features various studies that explore transitional spaces in the city that range in scope and scale. In our collective philosophy, history is treated as a spiral rather than a linear timeline; looking for moments of precedent that can inform future developments.

Kuwait Pavilion, *Rethinking Rethinking Kuwait*, installation view © Andrea Merola

Preview Days: May 18—19, 2023
Inauguration: May 19, 2023, at 10 am
May 20—November 26, 2023
Location: Magazzino Del Sale N.5
Dorsoduro, 262,
30123 Venezia VE, Italy

The NCCAL was established in 1973 by Amiri Decree, the Council seeks to preserve and promote the arts throughout Kuwait and aims to cultivate a productive environment for artists. Today, the duties of the organization vary from maintaining museums, public libraries, and cultural centers, to organizing excavations, renovating pre-oil structures, arranging annual cultural festivals, hosting readings and lectures, and representing Kuwait at cultural events abroad.
Acting Secretary General for the National Council for Culture Arts and Literature / Kuwait (NCCAL) – Dr. Mohammad Al Jassar.
Commissioner – Abdulaziz Almazeedi – National Council for Culture Arts and Literature / Kuwait (NCCAL).
Curators – Hamad Alkhaleefi, Naser Ashour, Rabab Raes Kazem, Mohammad Kassem.
Exhibitors – Abdulaziz Bazuhair, Abdullah Albusaili, Aliaa Mahdy, Aziz Motawa, Bader Al Moulah, Batool Ashour, Dana Alrashid, Fatima Al Fulaij, Jassim Alelwani, Malak Al Suwaihel, Maryam Mohammed, Mohammed Khesroh, Nada Abu-Daqer, Noor Abdulkhaleq, Nour Jafar, Nourah Alazmi, Qutaiba Buyabes, Sara Al-zeer, Sayer Al Sayer, Sultan Alsamhan, Yasmeen Abdal, Zahra Al-Mahdi, Zahra Hashim.
Contributors – Abdulrahman Sadeq, Fareed Alghimlas, Hasan Al Saffar, Jassim Alnashmi, Latifa Al-Hajji, Maha Al Asaker, Suad Al-Bahar, Vinod Kumar.