West Asian Artists and Pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale
The 2026 Venice Biennale highlighted artists from West Asia, focusing on themes of regional trauma and politics. Opening the Arsenale was Refaat Alareer’s poem 'If I Must Die.' At the Saudi Arabia pavilion, Dana Awartani presented an installation made of 29,000 clay bricks, symbolizing 23 heritage sites that have been destroyed. Curated by Bana Kattan, the UAE pavilion featured contributions from Mays Albaik and others. The Lebanese pavilion showcased a 45-meter frieze by Nabil Nahas. New pavilions from Morocco, Oman, and Qatar emphasized collaborative craftsmanship, with Qatar exhibiting works by Rirkrit Tiravanija. Morocco presented Amina Agueznay's panels, and Oman featured Haitham Al Busafi's installation. Additionally, collateral exhibitions included works by Sara Shamma and Faisal Saleh, with pro-Palestinian protests taking place during preview days.
Key facts
- The 2026 Venice Biennale featured West Asian artists and pavilions addressing regional politics and trauma.
- Dana Awartani's installation at the Saudi Arabia pavilion used 29,000 clay bricks to evoke 23 destroyed heritage sites.
- The UAE pavilion, curated by Bana Kattan, presented 'Washwasha' with works by six artists.
- Qatar's debut pavilion in the Giardini was curated by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib.
- Morocco's pavilion featured Amina Agueznay's 150 cascading panels made with 160 artisans.
- Walid Raad showed works referencing Arafat's bedrooms and Balkan militias.
- Vera Tamari's installation honored one million olive trees uprooted by Israel since 1967.
- Sara Shamma's 'Tower Tomb of Palmyra' marked Syria's return to the Biennale after the fall of Assad's government.
Entities
Artists
- Refaat Alareer
- Dana Awartani
- Bana Kattan
- Mays Albaik
- Alaa Edris
- Lamya Gargash
- Taus Makhacheva
- Jawad Al Malhi
- Farah Al Qasimi
- Mahmoud Darwish
- Nabil Nahas
- Tom Eccles
- Ruba Katrib
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- Alia Farid
- Sophia Al-Maria
- Tarek Atoui
- Fadi Kattan
- Amina Agueznay
- Haitham Al Busafi
- Armen Agop
- Nilbar Güreş
- Walid Raad
- Yasser Arafat
- Raed Yassin
- Andy Warhol
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
- Vera Tamari
- Mohammed Joha
- Avi Mograbi
- Avital Barak
- Sara Shamma
- Bashar al-Assad
- Faisal Saleh
- Chin-chin Yap
Institutions
- Venice Biennale
- Saudi Arabia pavilion
- UAE pavilion
- Lebanese pavilion
- Qatar pavilion
- Morocco pavilion
- Oman pavilion
- Egyptian pavilion
- Turkey pavilion
- Syria pavilion
- Palestine Museum
- Università Iuav di Venezia
- Palazzo Mora
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Sultanate of Oman
- La Biennale di Venezia
- ArtAsiaPacific
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Arsenale
- Giardini
- Saudi Arabia
- UAE
- United Arab Emirates
- Lebanon
- Qatar
- Morocco
- Oman
- Egypt
- Turkey
- Syria
- Palestine
- Gaza
- Bureij
- Raqqa
- Kuwait
- Beirut
- Paris
- Athens
- Dorsoduro
- Palmyra
- Jordan
- Lisbon
- Singapore