UAE Pavilion at Venice Biennale Explores Whispers and Communication

Key facts

• The UAE Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale is titled 'Washwasha' and curated by Bana Kattan.
• The exhibition runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026 at the Arsenale – Sale d'Armi.
• It opens with a film about Ajman Radio, a pirate radio station founded in 1961 by Salem Obaid Alaleeli and Rashid bin Abdullah bin Hamdah.
• Taus Makhacheva's installation 'Dear R., R., K., S., M., A., C., S., K., I., G., L., A., A., L., P., G., E., J., D., M., C., B., O., F., F., R., D., M., E., L., I., F., L., A., M., T., K., K., L., P., F., V., A., L., L.' (2018/26) features 52 speakers playing apologies from real emails.
• Jawad Al Malhi's 'Naiman' (2008/26) presents five Jerusalemite men's commentary on Hammam al-Ayn, a historic public bathhouse in Jerusalem's Old City.
• Farah Al Qasimi's 'The Curse' (2026) uses childhood sketches and candy-colored montages to address colonial violence.
• Mays Albaik's 'Kūni Kai Akūna Kama Aqūl!' (2026) features 19 mouth-blown glass sculptures cast from her mouth as she voiced Quranic phrases.
• Alaa Edris's 'Wiswās' (2026) presents three iroko wood faces with mechanized eyes and a disembodied voice declaring 'this is the end.'