Oman picks Biennale artist
- Oman selected Haitham Al Busafi to represent the country at the 2026 Venice Biennale with a new installation. (artasiapacific.com) - Al Busafi's piece combines sand, metal, and sound as core materials, according to the announcement. (artasiapacific.com) - His selection signals continued Biennale interest in site-responsive installations that mix material and auditory elements. (artasiapacific.com)
Oman has chosen artist, architect and curator Haitham Al Busafi to represent the country at the 2026 Venice Biennale. (artasiapacific.com) Al Busafi will present a new installation called *Zīnah* at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which opens to the public on May 9, 2026 and runs through November 22. (artasiapacific.com) (labiennale.org) The work uses sand, suspended metal and sound, and Oman said Al Busafi will also serve as curator of the national presentation. The pavilion is set for the Arsenale Artiglierie in Venice. (arabnews.com) (artdaily.com) The installation draws on *al-zaanah*, a tradition of silver adornment for Omani horses, and scales it into what organizers described as a participatory environment. That places a local craft vocabulary inside one of the art world’s main stages for national pavilions. (artdaily.com) (artsy.net) Venice Biennale pavilions function as country showcases alongside the central curated exhibition, which for 2026 carries the title *In Minor Keys*. This edition was developed from the curatorial vision of Koyo Kouoh and will include 110 invited participants in the main exhibition. (labiennale.org) (artsy.net) Oman’s culture ministry framed the project as part of a broader push to raise the country’s cultural profile abroad. Minister Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi said the Biennale participation reflects a national effort to use culture as a channel for dialogue with other countries. (canvasonline.com) Al Busafi has described the pavilion in terms of care, awareness and a balanced relationship between people and their environment. In the announced concept, sound is not background atmosphere but one of the work’s core materials. (muscatdaily.com) (artasiapacific.com) The result is a pavilion built around matter you can touch and vibration you can hear: sand underfoot, metal overhead, and sound produced collectively. When the Biennale opens in May, Oman’s contribution will arrive as an installation that turns adornment into environment. (artdaily.com)
