Guggenheim Abu Dhabi curator to lead National Pavilion UAE at Venice Art Biennale 2026

Bana Kattan's work reflects on historical and sociopolitical topics while drawing connections between emerging and established artists

Born in Abu Dhabi, Bana Kattan has seen the growth of the country’s arts scene first-hand. Photo: National Pavilion UAE

Bana Kattan, curator and associate head of exhibitions at Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, will lead the National Pavilion UAE’s participation at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale.

Kattan was appointed by a committee of prominent figures in the UAE’s creative sector, including representatives from the government, museums and universities.

Details of the country's exhibition are yet to be revealed, but it will likely respond to the biennale’s title In Minor Keys, chosen by late Cameroonian-Swiss art curator Koyo Kouoh. The biennale will run from May 9 to November 22 next year.

Born and raised in the UAE, Kattan has seen the growth of the country’s arts scene first-hand and has strong links to its cultural landscape. Her work reflects on historical and sociopolitical topics while drawing connections between emerging and established artists, linking practices across generations, disciplines and media.

Last year, the National Pavilion UAE presented works by Emirati artist Abdullah Al Saadi, pictured, in Venice. The exhibition, titled Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, was curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh. Photo: The National Pavilion UAE

“It is an honour to be appointed curator of the National Pavilion UAE for the Biennale Arte 2026,” Kattan said.

“Having worked extensively in the region and alongside a wide range of multigenerational and transdisciplinary artists from the Arab world, I look forward to contributing my experience to a project that reflects the UAE’s vibrant artistic landscape while engaging with broader histories, complexities and conversations.”

This approach is evident in her work as associate curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, a role she had prior to joining Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. In Chicago, she presented exhibitions that featured works by multigenerational artists including British-Palestinian Mona Hatoum in 2023, Iranian-Canadian Maryam Taghavi in 2024 and Iraqi-American Wafaa Bilal in 2025.

Kattan was also part of the curatorial team behind exhibitions at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, including Permanent Temporariness in 2018. The research-driven exhibition featured work by architects Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, and explored themes of displacement as well as the refugee experience.

At the NYUAD Art Gallery, she also part of the team behind But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988–2008. The 2017 exhibition showcased a group of pioneering Emirati artists and the interrelated nature of their practices and community.

The UAE Minister of Culture Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi said Kattan’s deep connection to the UAE “will bring forward perspectives that resonate both locally and internationally. Through this exhibition, the pavilion continues to affirm the UAE’s role as a centre for creativity and cultural dialogue,” he said.