Applications for National Pavilion UAE’s Venice Internship now open

The UAE National Pavilion at la Biennale di Venezia, has opened applications for the 2018 edition of the Venice Internship. The annual internship programme offers training opportunities to young UAE residents with an interest in arts and architecture.

Selected interns will each spend one month in Venice staffing the UAE’s exhibition at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia, which will take place from 26th May to 25th November, 2018.

The interns will be given the opportunity to earn hands-on experience by overseeing the daily operations of the exhibition in Venice, as well as participating in an educational programme run in partnership with Venice-based Ca’ Foscari University and other cultural institutions in the UAE and Venice.

The Venice Internship programme is open to Emiratis and long-term residents of the UAE aged 21 and above, with an interest or background in arts and architecture. Applications are available on the National Pavilion UAE’s website and will be closed on 3rd December, 2017.

The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.

Laila Binbrek, Co-ordinating Director, National Pavilion UAE, said, "More than 150 interns have taken part in the Venice Internship over the years, and we are very proud to see how many of them have pursued successful careers in the UAE’s leading cultural institutions, including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Art Foundation and Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. Others have gone on to become working artists and architects themselves, including 2013 intern Sara Al Haddad, whose artworks are included in the UAE’s current Biennale exhibition, Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play. As the UAE continues to develop into a global centre for arts and culture, demand is rising for skilled professionals in the sector. We remain committed to supporting the next generation of industry leaders by offering them professional exposure to this important international event."

The 2018 International Architecture Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia will be curated under the theme of "Freespace", by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects. Their overall curation of the Biennale aims to reveal the capacity of architecture to connect with history, time, place, and people.