Oman at Venice Biennale
- Haitham Al Busafi will represent Oman at the Venice Biennale with an installation using sand, metal, and sound. (artasiapacific.com) - The project adds a tactile, material-focused work to a Biennale already entangled in funding controversy. ( ) - The Biennale’s International Jury will convene and hand out awards on May 9 amid these geopolitical tensions. (labiennale.org)
Oman has picked artist, architect, and curator Haitham Al Busafi to represent the country at the 61st Venice Biennale, which opens on May 9. (artasiapacific.com) Al Busafi’s project is titled *Zīnah* and will be installed in the Arsenale Artiglierie as part of the 2026 exhibition, which runs through November 22. He is serving as both the pavilion’s artist and curator. (artdaily.com (labiennale.org)) The installation draws on *al-zannah*, the Omani tradition of silver adornment for horses, and turns it into an environment built from sand, suspended metal, and sound made collectively in the space. Oman’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth commissioned the project. (artdaily.com) (arabnews.com) The Venice Biennale is the world’s oldest large-scale contemporary art exhibition, and national pavilions function as state-backed presentations inside a broader international show. In 2026, the main exhibition is titled *In Minor Keys* and was organized by curator Koyo Kouoh. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2)) Oman’s announcement lands as the Biennale faces a dispute over Russia’s return to the exhibition for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc intends to cut funding over the decision. (artnews.com) (politico.eu) Ukraine is also participating in the 2026 Biennale and has pushed for Russia’s exclusion, while the Biennale has moved ahead with both national presences in Venice. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Ukraine also sanctioned five people linked to the Russian pavilion. (artnews.com) (rferl.org) The Biennale’s international jury was announced on April 22, with Solange Oliveira Farkas as president alongside Carlos Basualdo, Aria Dean, Doryun Chong, and Hassan Khan. The group will meet in Venice and award the Golden Lions and Silver Lion on May 9. (labiennale.org) That puts Al Busafi’s sand-and-metal pavilion into view just as the 2026 edition opens under jury scrutiny, state representation, and a widening argument over who gets to appear in Venice at all. (artasiapacific.com) (labiennale.org) (artnews.com)
