ABU DHABI (WAM)

The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates will participate at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which will open on May 6, and continue through to 22 November 2026.

The UAE pavilion will welcome the public from May 9 onwards, and will host the Washwasha exhibition. The display is curated by Bana Kattan, Curator and Associate Head of Exhibitions at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, and Assistant Curator Tala Nassar.

Washwasha brings together six artists: Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash, and Taus Makhacheva, whose practices contemplate contemporary soundscapes in the UAE, shaped by migration, transience, and long-term ties to the land.

A phonetic transliteration of the Arabic word for “whispering,” Washwasha is a starting point for exploring themes of movement, technology, oral histories, and the relationship between language, body, and identity. These themes reflect the lived conditions of many who shape and are shaped by the UAE’s cultural landscape.

From oral storytelling to poetry circles and locally initiated broadcasting efforts, sound has long functioned as a platform for collective self-representation. Washwasha situates contemporary artistic practices within this continuum of transmission and exchange.

Laila Binbrek, Director, National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia, affirmed that the UAE’s participation at the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2026 goes beyond a traditional artistic display to become a platform that reflects the vibrancy of Emirati society and reinforces national success stories.

She said that the selection of artists and curators this year embodies the UAE’s unique demographic and cultural diversity, bringing together creatives whose careers have been shaped by the country’s rapidly growing cultural ecosystem. This reflects the interconnectedness of the artistic community, and its ability to produce profound philosophical concepts related to identity and heritage.