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The National Pavilion United Arab Emirates has announced the appointment of Bana Kattan as curator of the UAE Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Arte 2026, which will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026.
Currently Curator and Associate Head of Exhibitions at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Kattan was selected by a committee of leading figures from the UAE’s creative sector, including representatives from government, museums, and universities.
"Her appointment reflects the Pavilion’s driving purpose: to shed light on underexplored narratives by bringing together diverse artistic perspectives that reflect the UAE’s unique blend of histories and communities"
said Laila Binbrek, Director of the National Pavilion United Arab Emirates, commenting on the committee’s decision.
Born and raised in Abu Dhabi, Bana Kattan has deep ties to the cultural landscape of the United Arab Emirates and has closely followed the evolution of its artistic community. She holds an MA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has been a recipient of the Barjeel Global Fellowship and the Getty-CAA International Program Grants. She is currently based in New York CIty.
Her experience has allowed her to contribute actively to the discourse on contemporary art in the UAE, promoting projects that engage with socio-political and historical themes while fostering dialogue between emerging and established artists, across generations and disciplines.
Before joining the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, she served as Associate Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, where she curated exhibitions featuring multigenerational artists. She also developed research programs at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, including Permanent Temporariness (2018) and But We Cannot See Them (2017), both dedicated to artistic communities and themes of displacement.
Since 2009, the National Pavilion UAE has showcased the country’s cultural, artistic, and architectural evolution, balancing experimentation with contemporary practice. Through collaborations with artists, curators, and researchers, the Pavilion’s exhibitions engage in international dialogues while while retaining a uniquely local perspective.
The 2021 edition, Wetland, curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, won the Golden Lion for Best National Participation, marking the UAE’s tenth year at the Biennale.
Commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation — a private, not-for-profit foundation — and supported by the UAE Ministry of Culture, the project reflects a strong commitment to advancing the national art scene and promoting emerging talent.
>>> Discover the UAE Pavilion and other must-see pavilions at the 2025 Architecture Biennale.
Cover image: © Francesco Galli, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia
