UAE’s Venice Sound Piece
The UAE pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale is titled “Washwasha” and presents itself as a listening work that explores whispers, echoes and shared histories carried through sound. (thenationalnews.com) Venice’s spring calendar is crowded — local guides flag May events across the city and previews name artists like Barry X Ball and Wallace Chan in the wider Biennale orbit. ( )
The United Arab Emirates is taking a quieter route to the 2026 Venice Biennale, with a pavilion built around listening rather than spectacle. “Washwasha” opens as part of the Biennale’s 61st edition, which runs from May 9 to November 22, with previews from May 6 to 8. (labiennale.org | thenationalnews.com) The show’s title comes from the Arabic word for whispering, and the pavilion frames sound as a way to trace memory, movement and shared history in the Emirates. The National Pavilion UAE says the exhibition looks at contemporary soundscapes shaped by migration, transience and long-term ties to the land. (nationalpavilionuae.org | thenationalnews.com) Bana Kattan, curator and associate head of exhibitions at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, is leading the pavilion with assistant curator Tala Nassar. The six artists are Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash and Taus Makhacheva. (nationalpavilionuae.org | universes.art) The timing places the UAE inside a Biennale shaped by “In Minor Keys,” the title of the 2026 international exhibition conceived by curator Koyo Kouoh. La Biennale says this year’s edition will include 99 national participations and 31 collateral events across Venice. (labiennale.org | labiennale.org) That wider city context matters in May, when Venice’s calendar is dense with Biennale traffic, concerts and water events. Venice Insider Guide says the busiest stretch for visitors is expected in the second half of May, and notes that Venice will apply its Access Fee on some high-traffic days for day-trippers. (veniceinsiderguide.com) The Biennale itself is spread across the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites around the city, with summer opening hours listed as 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from May through September. At the Arsenale, Friday and Saturday hours extend to 8 p.m. until the end of September. (labiennale.org | labiennale.org) The broader preview cycle already shows how crowded the field will be around the official pavilions. Art Collector’s early Venice roundup points to exhibitions and appearances tied to artists including Wallace Chan, whose show at Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo runs from May 8 to October 18, alongside other national and collateral presentations opening this spring. (artcollector.net.au) In that setting, the UAE pavilion is betting that a whisper can compete with a city full of openings. Its pitch is simple: in Venice this May, one national pavilion wants visitors to stop and listen. (thenationalnews.com | nationalpavilionuae.org)
