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Yasser Elsheshtawy: The Latest Architecture and News

"Transformations: The Emirati National House": Inside UAE's Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale

As part of ArchDaily's coverage of the 2016 Venice Biennale, we are presenting a series of articles written by the curators of the exhibitions and installations on show.

In response to Alejandro Aravena’s Biennale theme “Reporting from the Front” the UAE National Pavilion, commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, and supported by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, has chosen as its main theme the transformation of the UAE National house, also known as Sha’abi, or People’s house – a housing program that was introduced in the UAE in the early 1970s to house what was then a fairly transient population.

Yasser Elsheshtawy Reveals Theme for UAE Pavilion at 2016 Venice Biennale

As announced in October 2015, UAEU professor Yasser Elsheshtawy has been selected to curate the United Arab Emirates pavilion for the 2016 Venice Biennale. Following the Biennale’s theme of Reporting from the Front, Elsheshtawy—who runs the blog Dubaization, a term he coined in 2004 to depict the influence of Dubai on the urban discourse—has chosen to highlight the country’s social housing program, known as Sha’abi housing, which began in the 1970s and continues on to today.

ArchDaily was given the opportunity to speak to Elsheshtawy about the history of the United Arab Emirates’ Sha’abi housing, and what role it might play in informing the urban future of a country that has become renowned for a very different type of architecture. Continue reading for our exclusive interview with Elsheshtawy on this year’s UAE pavilion.

Yasser Elsheshtawy to Curate UAE Pavilion at 2016 Venice Biennale

UAEU professor Yasser Elsheshtawy has been appointed to curate the United Arab Emirates' participation at the 2016 Venice Biennale. Elsheshtawy plans to work with a group of selected interns on an exhibition that will reflect the UAE's contribution to the advancement of architecture and culture. A theme for the exhibition has yet to be announced.