The United Arab Emirates National Pavilion at the 61st Biennale Arte announces WASHWASHA 
La Biennale di Venezia 2026
May 06 – November 22, 2026

The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) unveils its exhibition, Washwasha, at the Biennale Arte 2026. Curated by Bana Kattan, Curator and Associate Head of Exhibitions at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, with Assistant Curator Tala Nassar, the exhibition features newly commissioned and existing works by Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash, and Taus Makhacheva.

Washwasha is a single onomatopoeic word meaning “whispering” in Arabic. Its meaning resides in the sound itself: quiet, suggestive, and open. The six artists in Washwasha use sound as a starting point to explore the intangible. The exhibition brings together intergenerational and interdisciplinary practices to expand on themes of migration, technology, oral histories, and the relationship between language, body, and identity.

Developed by the curatorial team and designed by Büro Koray Duman (B-KD) Architects, the exhibition space guides visitors from zones of quiet, close listening to areas consumed by noise and sonic overlap. The order of the works in the floor plan serves the exhibition narrative, moving from oral histories and storytelling to language and communication, and finally to technology and hyper-connectivity.

Near the entrance of the exhibition, visitors will encounter a programmatic activation inspired by veteran broadcaster Salem Obaid Alaleeli, who cofounded Ajman’s first radio station in 1961 using modest equipment and a domestic space. Among its most notable segments was “Voice of the Country,” in which a live microphone was set up to broadcast everyday sounds. This activation foregrounds an early chapter in the UAE’s sonic history, where listening, recording, and transmission became forms of cultural connection. In response to this legacy, Moza Almatrooshi (ballad), Roudhah AlMazrouei, and Spencer Shea present contemporary recordings drawn from daily lives across the UAE, tracing landscapes, domestic rhythms, communal exchanges, and fleeting encounters.

Bana Kattan, Curator, said: “This exhibition brings together a group of artists whose practices engage deeply with sound, language, and memory. Each artist brings a distinct perspective, and together they form a dialogue that reflects the depth of artistic practices connected to the UAE. The selection also reflects the demographic and cultural plurality of the UAE, bringing together artists with lived connections to the country.”

The Biennale Arte 2026 will mark the UAE’s fifteenth participation at the International Art and Architecture Exhibitions of La Biennale di Venezia and its ninth participation in the International Art Exhibition.

more. www.nationalpavilionuae.org