UAE’s ‘Washwasha’ brings sound, memory to Venice Biennale
Also this week: New wine bar VNTG opens and ‘All at Once’ lands in Dubai.
Welcome back to AL-MONITOR Dubai.
The United Arab Emirates has announced its forthcoming exhibition for its National Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Titled Washwasha, the pavilion presents a group show of artists exploring contemporary soundscapes in the Gulf, with themes of migration, transience and ties to the land. We also highlight an international group show at newcomer JD Malat Gallery centered on resilience, continuity and hope, alongside a newly opened wine bar at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai and the latest data on residential real estate transactions for the first quarter of 2026.
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Happy reading,
Rebecca
P.S. Have feedback or tips on Dubai's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.
1. Leading the week: ‘Washwasha’
An exterior view of the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates - La Biennale di Venezia. (Photography by Ismail Noor)
Titled Washwasha, a phonetic transliteration of the Arabic word for “whispering,” the forthcoming exhibition of the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will feature artists Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash and Taus Makhacheva. From oral storytelling to poetry circles, the works on view explore how sound has long served as a platform for collective self-representation in the UAE. Curated by Bana Kattan, curator and associate head of exhibitions at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, alongside curator Tala Nassar, the exhibition examines themes including the relationship between language, body and identity, as well as oral histories and the ongoing transmission and exchange of knowledge.
“All six artists have strong ties to the UAE, whether through birth, long-term residence, education, or sustained professional engagement,” said Kattan in a statement announcing the exhibition. “Their practices have developed within, alongside, or in dialogue with the UAE’s evolving cultural ecosystem. In fact, this connection extends to the curatorial team and publication contributors as well. The Pavilion reflects the UAE’s diverse and interconnected artistic community.”
Date: May 9 - Nov. 22
Location: Arsenale, Sale d’Armi, Venice, Italy
Find more information here.
2. Word on the street: VNTG Grape & Cheese opens in Dubai
An interior view of the new VNTG Grape & Cheese at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai. (Courtesy of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai)
VNTG Grape & Cheese Society has opened at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in Dubai’s Business Bay, offering a refined take on the classic European enoteca. Designed for relaxed, intimate lunches and dinners, the cozy wine bar encourages conversation in an upscale yet informal setting.
Located on the ground floor, the venue features both indoor and outdoor seating, alongside a wine list of more than 350 labels from around the world, including over 55 by the glass. The bistro-style menu, curated by chef Tom Allen, includes a standout cheese and charcuterie selection with artisan cheeses and cured meats, as well as dishes such as mussels in white wine and garlic with seaweed butter, chicken pie, smoked roasted cauliflower and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
Location: JW Marriot Marquis Hotel Dubai, Ground floor, Business Bay, Dubai
Find more information here.
3. Dubai diary
An exhibition view of ‘All at Once’ at JD Malat Gallery in Dubai. (Courtesy of JD Malat Gallery)
- ‘All at Once’ at JD Malat Gallery Dubai
JD Malat Gallery, the London art space founded by French dealer Jean-David Malat, opened in 2018 and launched its Dubai outpost in January 2025. It is now staging a group exhibition bringing together artists from around the world to explore themes of resilience, continuity and hope. “Staging this exhibition now feels more important than ever,” Malat told Al-Monitor. “In moments of uncertainty, art becomes a space for reflection, connection, and perspective,it allows us to pause and engage with something deeper than the immediate noise around us."
The exhibition features works by artists including Kojo Marfo of Ghana; Zhang Ji and Lu Xinjian of China; Gary Lang of the United States; Ur Kasin of Romania; Richard Wathen of the United Kingdom; Yann Leto of France; Henrik Uldalen of South Korea; Santiago Parra of Colombia; Sophie-Yen Bretez of Vietnam; and Tim Kent of Canada. Spanning a range of media, the works examine how periods of uncertainty can coexist with growth, renewal and forward momentum. “Dubai has shown an extraordinary resilience and openness during this period,” adds Malat. “As a relatively new gallery in the city, we feel a strong responsibility to contribute to that cultural energy, continuing to present ambitious exhibitions while adapting with agility to the situation."
Date: Until May 15
Location: Act 2 Tower, Ground Floor, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai
Find more information here.
- Alserkal Avenue launched ‘Blank Space’ to help UAE-based artists
Alserkal Avenue, a leading arts district in the Gulf, is responding to mounting pressures on emerging artists with its ‘Blank Space’ program, offering temporary warehouse studios along with resources, visibility and opportunities to engage new audiences and collaborators. Applications are open via email until 12 p.m. on April 10, 2026. Three collectives will be selected for month-long residencies, receiving utilities, materials and equipment as requested, as well as marketing and communications support.
Find more information here.
- ‘BELONGING(S)’ by Dora Dalila Cheffi
This exhibition, held at the newly opened UrArtU Gallery in Alserkal Avenue, features a series of vibrantly colored canvas works by Dora Dalila Cheffi. Curated by Yeocheva Gabbay, it examines how Cheffi draws on her Finnish-Tunisian heritage to depict the people and places shaping her world, extending beyond the personal to the collective. Inspired by Lebanese-French author Amin Maalouf’s essay In the Name of Identity, the works similarly frame belonging as a layered, evolving experience rather than a fixed condition.
Date: Until April 26
Location: UrArtU Gallery, Alserkal Avenue
Find more information here.
4. Book of the week: ‘The Persians’
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2025, this debut novel by Sanam Mahloudji — an American writer born in Tehran and based in London — offers a witty, wry and life-affirming portrait of five women from a once-prominent Iranian family. Spanning from 1940s Iran to the 2000s, the story traces their personal and political upheavals, exploring how they navigate love, money, art and identity amid displacement and a changing sense of home.
5. View from Dubai
A woman stands with two dogs during the Barkfest dog festival at Barasti Beach in Dubai on April 4, 2026. (FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)
6. By the numbers
- Dubai’s residential property market recorded 44,100 transactions in the first quarter of 2026, led by off-plan sales, according to the latest figures from real estate advisory firm Cavendish Maxwell.
- March was the weakest month of the quarter, with 12,700 transactions, down 10.5% year-on-year, said Ronan Arthur, director and head of residential and valuation at Cavendish Maxwell. He noted that property sales data typically lags by several weeks, meaning March’s figures reflect a mix of transactions agreed both before and after the conflict began.
- Ready property sales fell 35% year-on-year in March, while off-plan sales were broadly stable, edging up 0.6%, according to the consultancy.