ArtDayMe : Hossein Hashempoor : The 60th Venice Biennale is now ongoing. The 120-year-old festival, which serves as a gathering place for those who enjoy art and architecture, takes over the entire city, including Venice's lanes and boathouses, the Arsenale, and the Giardini. It is a spectacular display of the social force of art, which is something that the world needs more and more of in order to live better.                                                                                  

1: 

As a Middle Eastern journalist, I often daydream and ponder: Is it feasible that the Middle East would devise a new strategy and host an emerging art biennale here, following a century of European art biennales? In case you missed it, the Venice Biennale runs from April through November, or until the weather in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is lovely again. Is it conceivable for lovers and artists to visit this place between November and April?

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Honestly, the very existence of the Venice Biennale is unintentionally brought to the attention of viewers by the establishment of the Art Dubai and Sikka Art & Design Festival in Madinat Jumeirah and Al Shindagha in Dubai, as well as the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, Louvre, etc. in the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation in Al Saadiyat Island of Abu Dhabi. The Middle East has the opportunity to innovate in art this time around, building on the idea of a new Middle East after the Expo, the World Cup, and other events.

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The Venice Biennale is unquestionably evolving into ecology of artistic and cultural activity rather than only an art show. It functions based on the following global principle: three to five jobs in allied fields are gradually activated by each job in the art field. In light of this, it was revealed that the last Venice Biennale added to the €3.3 billion that the tourism industry brings in for the regional economy. Why isn't there more of this kind of thing in the Middle East, particularly in Dubai or Abu Dhabi during the fall and winter months when travelers from the US and Europe flock there?

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A few days ago, the media announced that the United Arab Emirates had advanced significantly in the global talent recruitment rating, rising to the 14th spot as one of the world's top professional destinations. World experts have ranked Dubai and Abu Dhabi as their third and fourth favorite cities, respectively.

I believe that the establishment of an art biennale, which is a symbol of advancement and growth in the modern world, can serve as a chic and elegant façade for the Middle East of today and draw in more intellectuals and elites. Yes, this is an ambitious notion, but there are a lot of amazing ambitions in the UAE, especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.