UAE pavilion asks you to listen
The UAE pavilion for the 61st Venice Biennale is framing its presentation around sound and invited visitors to 'listen closely' in its preview coverage. (thenationalnews.com). That announcement is part of a wider run of Arab pavilion programs now being publicized for Venice 2026. (thenationalnews.com)
The United Arab Emirates will take a sound-led group show called *Washwasha* to the 2026 Venice Biennale, asking visitors to move through rooms built for close listening. (labiennale.org, nationalpavilionuae.org) The exhibition opens with the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. Bana Kattan is curating the UAE pavilion, with Tala Nassar as assistant curator. (labiennale.org, nationalpavilionuae.org) *Washwasha* takes its title from the Arabic word for whispering and brings together six artists: Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash and Taus Makhacheva. The pavilion says their works trace contemporary soundscapes in the United Arab Emirates through migration, transience and long ties to the land. (nationalpavilionuae.org, universes.art) The physical design is part of the argument. Exhibition plans describe a sequence of chambers by Büro Koray Duman Architects that shifts visitors from intimate listening zones into spaces of sonic overlap and noise. (canvasonline.com, myartguides.com) The show arrives inside a Biennale shaped by the late curator Koyo Kouoh’s theme, *In Minor Keys*. La Biennale has said the 2026 exhibition will proceed with the support of Kouoh’s family and follow the curatorial vision she developed before her death in May 2025. (labiennale.org, art50.net) That wider frame helps explain the timing of the UAE announcement. Arab national pavilions, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Syria, have been rolling out their 2026 programs ahead of the May opening in Venice. (msn.com, msn.com) The UAE pavilion has been part of the Biennale circuit since 2009, giving Emirati and United Arab Emirates-based artists a recurring platform in one of the art world’s biggest international exhibitions. The pavilion’s own materials say one of the 2026 artists previously represented the country in that first edition. (nationalpavilionuae.org, msn.com) In Venice next month, the United Arab Emirates will not be competing for attention with a single monument or image. It is building a show around whispers, echoes and the act of listening itself. (nationalpavilionuae.org, canvasonline.com)
