There are biennales and biennales. And biennales, and biennales. Over the past decade or so, the mania for biennialisation has reached such heights that scarcely a nation in the developed world now wants for one.
There are two-yearly art events in Bucharest, Kwangju and Sao Paulo. A new one was set up in New Orleans to give the city a boost after Hurricane Katrina. Iran has one, even if it isn't held in Iran: the International Roaming Biennial of Tehran has so far exhibited in Istanbul, Berlin and Belgrade. There are precedents for this kind of itinerancy: Manifesta, for example, has toured European cities since 1994. More usually, however, the biennale stays put, a standing adornment to whichever city it has fetched up in. Because that's another odd thing about them, qua social artefact: you rarely find them in the capitals. In the UAE we have Sharjah. The principal British event is held in Liverpool; Japan singles out Kitakyushu for duty. One wonders: was it a bit gauche of the Russians to launch a Moscow biennale a few years ago? What does it say about Greece that its primary event is held in Athens? It's tempting to put these countries on the couch, to see what their departures from the art-world norm might reveal about them.
For the biennale has always at bottom been about national self-presentation. And that goes double for the grandmother of them all, Venice.
The Venice Biennale began in 1895, when the city council decided it could turn the informal meetings of artists at the Caffe Florian into a profile-building international event. A pavilion was built in the gardens at Castello. Artists were invited by name, further submissions were solicited and space was set aside for foreign talent, the better to reveal the supremacy of the Italians.
The show proved an unexpected triumph: more than 200,000 people visited the exhibition, though this may partly be explained as the result of some canny marketing. The city had the inspiration of offering visitors a return train ticket along with their entrance fee, a deal reminiscent of the sort of package tours popularised by Thomas Cook a couple of decades before. Thousands took them up on it, making the inaugural show a hit, and to some degree also a success de scandal. For the most talked-about work in the exhibition was Giacomo Grosso's Supreme Meeting, which showed the corpse of Don Juan watched over by female figures. The painting was considered so provocative that it provoked the spontaneous formation of a commission, which ultimately voted in the painting's favour. "We unanimously reply no," it said. "The painting will not offend public morals." In fact, the painting caused the people of Venice so little distress that it went on to win a prize by popular vote at the end of the exhibition.
Thus, from its first edition, Venice announced itself as a home for the boundary pushing. It cottoned on to abstract expressionism in the Fifties, and pop art in the Sixties. Today, it has a reputation as a safe haven for all manner of neo-conceptualism. In a recent novel set at the festival, Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, the British author Geoff Dyer records such manifestations of Venice's anything-goes sensibility as a wall of dartboards - fully interactive, of course - by Jacob Dahlgren, and a team of African street vendors employed by the artist Fred Wilson. "Ideally," Dyer writes, "the perfect art installation would be a nightclub, full of people, pumping music, lights, smoke machine... You could call it Nightclub, and if you kept it going 24 hours a day it would be the big hit of the Biennale."
This year, among other notable provocations, are a video of the former Velvet Underground viola-player John Cale getting waterboarded to the accompaniment of the Welsh national anthem. The UK will be represented by the video artist Steve McQueen, a Dutch resident and best known for the feature film Hunger, a broadly anti-British account of the death of the IRA volunteer Bobby Sands. Alan Vega, the former vocalist in the classic New York electro duo Suicide ("the ultimate punk band" because "even the punks hated us"), is presenting work. If past form is anything to go by, further coups are to be expected.
The biennale may have been challenging from the start, but it was a few years before it started taking on its present shape. Today, the whole of Venice is crammed with spontaneous happenings and loosely overlapping festivals of film, dance, theatre, music and architecture, all centred on the Giardini, the gardens where the first festival pavilion was built. There are 29 national pavilions in the gardens and more scattered across the city: in particular, the Arsenale, a former naval shipyard, has become a locus both for the more recent national arrivals on the Venice scene and for cutting-edge fringe activities. It wasn't always this way.
Indeed, it wasn't until 1907 that the first non-Italian pavilion opened in the Giardini. Germanic artists had been on the scene since the Biennale's early days, thanks to the political weight that Gustav Klimt and the Vienna Secession artists carried with the festival organisers; in 1899 Klimt's Judith II was exhibited to notable acclaim. The festival was arguably slower on the uptake as far as developments in French art were concerned: Rodin had a good year in 1901 and there were posthumous shows of work by the great Barbizon realists Millet and Corot, but French impressionism, for instance, which had set European art on its ear decades before, was overlooked altogether. And perhaps it is significant that the first country to establish a permanent home in the Giardini was the relative backwater, artistically speaking, of Belgium.
Others followed soon enough, however: the British, Germans and Hungarians were installed by 1909; in 1912, France joined them. Now there are dozens of national pavilions. As well as the UAE, other debutantes this year include Andorra, Gabon, Montenegro, Pakistan, Monaco and South Africa. The UAE's double debut (a national pavilion and a separate platform for the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage) will be at the Arsenale among them.
There has already been a good deal of excitement about one small state that will be making its inaugural showing in 2011: the Vatican has announced a pavilion of its own. Quite what it will contain remains to be seen, but it seems likely that Venice will be able to accommodate it.
One of the focuses of the Biennale has long been a large-scale exhibition put together by a visiting director. This year's director, Daniel Birnbaum, has called his show Making Worlds. It will, he says, focus as much on the processes of artistic production as the results.
The Biennale has proven remarkably robust over the decades. It withstood a hostile leaflet campaign by the excitable Futurist poet FT Marinetti in 1910, whose Manifesto Against Past-Loving Venice rained down from the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica.
There have been upsets: it fell under fascist control during the 1930s and was suspended for six years during the Second World War. The wave of proto-revolutionary protests that swept Europe in 1968 caused a major rethink in the way that the festival was structured: prizes were abolished and exhibitions became thematic rather than artist-led. Moreover, it is likely that the world's current economic difficulties will cast a shadow over the traditional whirl of party-going. But don't expect it to bow out: for all its wobbliness, the rising damp and sinking stilts, there's something oddly invincible about Venice. As Dyer writes, dismissing several historical accounts of how the city came to be built: "It still didn't make sense. Better to think that it just appeared like this, fully formed and hundreds of years old in the instant it was founded."
Catherine David, who is curating Adach's platform in Venice, emphasises the Biennale's combination of deep historical roots and buzzy contemporaneity. "You have a very messy mix of historical precedents and contemporary, mercantilist, very glamorous adaptations, all at once," she says. "And because it's Venice, because of historical precedent, because of all the things we said previously, it's still a very international platform. Meaning that, in a few days you can touch many people, and you can achieve very good visibility." And of course, the fact that the UAE is the first Gulf country ever to participate in the Biennale is an attraction of its own.
Tirdad Zolghadr is curating the UAE national pavilion. "It's the oldest biennale in the world," he says, "and it's probably one of the most prestigious arts events, so whatever happens here will hopefully have some kind of repercussion on how art is seen in this country." As he says: "It's a way to, in a very modest and small way, make a historical footnote somewhere along the line: to leave a lasting trace."
Whatever happens, the UAE's double debut at the world's greatest celebration of art marks a big step in the cultural life of the Emirates. There are biennales and biennales. And then there's Venice.
elake@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
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How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Stan%20Lee
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Bullet%20Train
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'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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