aud photography student partakes in venice biennale

Sami Al-Turki showcases photographs as part of ADACH Platform for Visual Art
photography student Sami Al-Turki is a natural born artist. This summer, Sami’s future just got brighter, as he is joining the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage (ADACH) Platform for Visual Art in the 53rd Venice Biennale, the most prestigious contemporary art exhibition. His journey to the Biennale started two years ago, when he met the current ADACH Platform artistic director, Catherine David, with whom he developed his knowledge of art. The aim of the platform is to present the UAE’s contemporary visual art and artists to the public, in order to alter people’s misconceptions of the region and its recent developments, a goal Sami hopes to contribute to through his photographs. It is the first time that a Gulf country participates in this unsurpassed event, which is why the Venice Biennale is, for AUD’s Sami Al-Turki, an ideal and unique opportunity to exhibit his photographs.
Al-Turki shares:
“I am honored to be able to participate in the Venice Biennale with the ADACH Platform for Visual Arts. I feel joy and am privileged that the faculty have been patient in guiding me through my years at university, and helped me carve out ideas and bring them to life. It has been a wonderful experience that I will strive and work for more.”
Sami’s work -a series of photographs called “Lifts” and a video dubbed “Fathom”-  will accompany an original body of archival and recent photos, an assortment of moving and still images, architectural forms and other artworks.  The theme of his pictures and video was born from a 2007 and ongoing experience, where he started accompanying migrant construction workers to their homes, workplaces or friends’ houses, and taking their pictures in different contexts.
AUD Chair of the Visual Communication Department and Assistant Professor of Photography Roberto Lopardo comments:
“I can’t stress strongly enough how important the Venice Biennale is to the artistic community across the globe. The significance of having an AUD student show his work at such a tender age would be considered an unprecedented accomplishment in many of the best art schools across the globe.”