Venice: UAE’s sonic show
The UAE pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale is presenting 'Washwasha,' a sound-centered project that explores 'whispers, echoes and the shared histories carried through sound.' (thenationalnews.com) The coverage frames the pavilion as an invitation to listen closely, positioning its approach as quieter and more atmospheric compared with some other national presentations. (thenationalnews.com)
The United Arab Emirates will bring a sound-led exhibition called *Washwasha* to the 61st Venice Biennale, opening to the public on May 9. (nationalpavilionuae.org) The show is curated by Bana Kattan, with Tala Nassar as assistant curator, and will run at the Arsenale’s Sale d’Armi through November 22, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. (nationalpavilionuae.org; labiennale.org) *Washwasha* means “whispering” in Arabic, and the pavilion says the exhibition looks at contemporary soundscapes in the United Arab Emirates as records of memory, movement and fast change. (nationalpavilionuae.org) The project brings together six artists: Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash and Taus Makhacheva. The pavilion says their work examines migration, transience and long-term ties to land in the United Arab Emirates. (universes.art; wam.ae) This year’s Venice Biennale is titled *In Minor Keys*, a phrase the organizer uses for an exhibition built around slower, more meditative ways of seeing and listening. The international exhibition will unfold across the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites in Venice. (labiennale.org) That framing places the United Arab Emirates pavilion inside a wider 2026 edition that is already emphasizing mood, attention and the senses, rather than spectacle alone. The Biennale is proceeding with the curatorial vision of Koyo Kouoh, whose title and concept were retained by La Biennale di Venezia. (labiennale.org; biennialassociation.org) For the United Arab Emirates, the 2026 edition marks its ninth participation in the International Art Exhibition in Venice. The pavilion is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Culture. (nationalpavilionuae.org; ocula.com) Kattan was appointed curator in September 2025 while serving as curator and associate head of exhibitions at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project. Her Venice exhibition now turns that appointment into a pavilion built around listening, with whispers as both subject and method. (theplan.it; nationalpavilionuae.org)
