Hong Kong-based art researcher’s next job: curating UAE’s Venice pavilion
Hammad Nasar, of Asia Art Archive, to present a ‘complex’ view of the Emirates at 2017 Venice Biennale
The Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation – the philanthropic organisation founded by the wife of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince – approached Nasar about the job after he signed a petition last June against the country’s decision to bar three labour rights campaigners from entering the country.
“I thought it was interesting that they picked me, although it was not completely unexpected because I have worked with the director of the pavilion before and they all know me well,” says the Pakistan-born curator and art writer from London.
Nasar, who will finish his four-year stint in Hong Kong at the end of the year, says he is intrigued by the many parallels between the UAE and Hong Kong – both port cities that are historically outward looking, both heavily reliant on foreign workers and both in the process of building vast museums – as well as differences, such as the UAE’s genuine multiculturalism.
He says he was upfront in his proposal about presenting a “complex” view of the UAE that addresses, in particular, the country’s unusual demographic – more than 80 per cent of its population of about 9 million are expatriates.
The emirates have a poor human rights record, with restrictions on the freedom of expression, the unequal treatment of women and the working and living conditions of foreign workers.