Venice Biennale: Fatima Farah from the Italian Pavilion

Fatima Farah at the UAE Pavilion (Courtesy: Fatima Farah)
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Today we continue the series of on-the-ground reports from the 56th Venice Biennale in Italy. For this, we have asked the interns to bring us their take on their favourite pavilion at the Biennale, during the month that they spend in Venice acting as custodians and docents of the UAE’s National Pavilion.

Fatima Farah, an Emirati graphic design graduate and a banknote design trainee, chose to tell us about the Italian pavilion, the host country’s pavilion.

Fatima says: “ Landing in Venice as an intern at the Venice Biennale’s UAE pavilion, I found myself entering a different state of mind. On the way to our apartment, walking in the alleys, or as they call them in Italian “calles”, I was mesmerised by the narrow paths and the very old bricks, that led us through to our apartment.

After spending two weeks in Venice and visiting Florence, having the chance to go around museums and the other Venice Biennale pavilions, I felt fully absorbed in the Italian culture and its spectacular history. I also enjoyed the unpredictable weather, the mosquitoes, the welcoming and loving Italian people and the pizza, of course!

My favorite pavilion was the Italian one. It was curated by Vincenzo Trione, who set out to research the original features that characterise Italian creativity. He achieved his goal by bringing back memory and the authentic expression of artists who in the last generations have worked in a global context, always on the front line of avant-garde. The exhibition is divided into three chapters: Codice Italia (Code for Italy), which features works by 15 artists, who were asked to produce original works with a high symbolic value; Omaggio All’Italia (Tribute to Italy), showing original works of artist paying tribute to the history of Italian art; and Sulla Memoria (On Memory), a video installation reflecting on the reinvention of memory.

I liked the untitled work of Francesco Barocco the most. He made sculptures out of clay, with portraits drawn on them using graphite and only one section of the face was sculpted into 3D. I found it funny that one of the works featured a lady wearing the same watch as I was, so I took the time to capture myself next to her posing in the same way. After that, I passed by a room full of bright yellow corn, which has a mirror at the opposite side of the room. I stood there by the door for a while daydreaming while staring at the corn – there was a glass barrier that prevented entry to the room. This installation was by the artist Marzia Migliora. She aims to make the audience rethink the genre of still life and sheds light on the issue of the decrease in corn cultivation. The installation is a reenactment of a photograph taken by the artist in her father’s farmstead some years ago; the photo can be viewed through optical devices that are situated around the entrance’s wall.

I am planning to revisit the Italian pavilion with a sketchbook to study and draw the installations, and I will continue visiting the museums around Venice, collecting their tickets and having caramel flavored gelato along the way!”

* Aside from designing Fatima enjoys freelancing for event planning, learning languages, and social services. She is currently launching campaigns for both dyslexia and child sponsorship in UAE. Keep up with her on Instagram on @veniceinterns as well as on her personal account: @fatimas_art and on hashtags #veniceinterns and @uaeinvenice.