Between East and West: A Gulf, Kuwait’s Pavilion at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of - La Biennale di Venezia

Hundreds of islands dot the waters between the Arabian and Persian shores. An afterthought in the political maneuverings of their respective coasts, these islands tell an alternative narrative to the one which drives conceptions of the region. They represent a possibility greater than spaces of political contestation and hesitant demarcation. These islands are the sites of identity in formation, places of experimentation and architectural invention. Their historical roles were as varied as places of leisure, spirituality, planning, war, exile, and health. The island is an entity both isolated but also crucially connected through the waters of the Gulf, and thus not an exception to the national but the rule which defines it.

This year’s Kuwaiti pavilion looks beyond the shores of the country and argues in favor of a masterplan for a united Gulf. By presenting the untold history of the region and proposing an alternate future, the pavilion casts the hydrography as a singular entity of neither East nor West, but as an untapped archipelago which defined the region and offers the greatest possibility for its reconciliation.

Commissioner
Zahra Ali Baba —
National Council for
Culture Arts and Letters
/ Kuwait(NCCAL)

Curators
Hamed Bukhamseen,
Ali Karimi

Art Director / Graphic Designer
Fahad AlHunaif

Publication Coordinator / Editor
Muneerah Alrabe

Project Designers & Research Architects
Saphiya Abu Almaati, Shahab Albahar, Mai Albusairi, Nada Alqallaf, Rawan Alsaffar, Yousef Awaad Hussein

Financial Team
Mohammed Al Ajmi, Mohammed Al Jameel

Administrative Team
Abdullah Albeeshi (Head of team), Noora Al Musallam, Jaber Al Qallaf, Jassim Al Shamali.

http://kuwaitpavilion2016.com/