Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, has met with His Excellency Alberto Bonisoli, Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities, and explored means of enhancing the UAE-Italian cultural relations, through the establishment of joint cultural and artistic projects and bringing together the artists of the two countries.

Al Kaabi also discussed with Luigi Brugnaro, Mayor of Venice, and Paolo Baratta, President of Venice Biennale, the development of the cultural partnership between the UAE - represented by its national pavilion in the Biennale - and the city of Venice with its cultural institutions and its ancient tourist attractions, and particularly the promotion of cultural tourism.

The meeting touched on the role played by cultural diplomacy in bringing the two countries closer, spreading the values of tolerance and openness, and learning about their respective cultures, through international cultural forums, such as the Venice Biennale.

During her visit, Al Kaabi toured the UAE National Pavilion, which is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development and is located in the Arsenal of Venice until November 24th. She also viewed ‘Passage’, an immersive, 26-minute, two-channel video and twelve-channel sound installation by poet, filmmaker and artist Nujoom Alghanem. Filmed in the UAE and Venice, the site-specific work has been closely conceived and developed with the pavilion curators Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath.

Al Kaabi also praised Zayed University students’ outstanding artistic and creative work for the Biennale, which reflects a significant cultural and artistic renaissance among the new generations of Emirati artists. She spent some time with the students, at the Zayed University stand, getting to know more about their work, which is inspired by the environment and culture of the UAE and Italy, and delivered as part of a two-week technical program.

As one of the Al Burda initiatives, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development organized a panel discussion, which hosted artists Anila Qayyum and Sahand Hesamiyan, who discussed their artistic work, which reflects the intersection of modern and traditional elements, and launched a book entitled “Engineering Designs and Art in the Modern Middle East”.