Sharjah Architecture Triennial Centers Community Voices in Its Third Edition

Updated 6 min 4 sec ago

November 9, 2026
11:21

DUBAI: The Sharjah Architecture Triennial (SAT03) will return to the emirate from November 14, 2026, to April 14, 2027, presenting a diverse agenda that foregrounds community‑driven design. Curated by anthropologist and Yale visiting professor Vyjayanthi Rao, with associate curator Tau Tavengwa, the third edition gathers 35 participants whose practices span architecture, anthropology, urbanism, art, design, education, and community initiatives.

Rao, whose research focuses on displacement, memory, and heritage, emphasizes a bottom‑up approach that invites the broader public—not just professionals—to shape the exhibition. “Architecture is a mingling of different kinds of intelligence, whether that’s coming from the professional or from the bottom up,” she explains. The projects on display reflect how residents create purposeful spaces by connecting with and caring for their neighbors, shifting away from top‑down state planning.

• 35 works span anthropology, urbanism, art, design and education
• Curator Vyjayanthi Rao spotlights displacement, memory, heritage

Notable contributions include Azza Aboualam’s “Assemblies,” a greenhouse system designed for self‑sufficiency in arid urban neighborhoods, and a collaborative installation by Great Things! involving children from diverse Sharjah communities. Themes of nomadism, displacement, and collective care are explored through “Tumblespace,” a movable structure informed by nomadic traditions from Istanbul‑based creators Aslihan Demirtas, Ali Cindoruk, and Dilsad Aladag, and through mobile, shelter‑like works by Hiba Bou Akar, Mohamad Hafeda, and Nathalie Harb that incorporate materials from refugee settlements and wartime infrastructure.

Other highlights are Torolab’s “Sharjah Cookbook,” which maps the city through its food systems, labor networks, and daily nourishment practices, and Samar Halloum’s “Sabeel, Negotiated,” which investigates how residents adapt transitional urban spaces to increase urban hospitality. The program also expands into sound, storytelling, and alternative engagements with the built environment.

Mohamad Nahleh and Ozayr Saloojee explore “night architecture” via narrative performances and guided walks, while Yaminay Chaudhri and Karachi Beach Radio focus on the beach as an open, welcoming space through an installation that blends oral history and sound.

Together, the projects embody SAT03’s central premise: architecture is not merely about buildings, but about the relationships, informal networks, and acts of care that enable communities to thrive.

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