Qatar makes Venice Biennale debut with pavilion built on collaboration, food and live art

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:04]Culture connects what conflict [music] tries to break apart. That's the message from Qatar's first official pavilion here at the 61st Venice Biennale as the country positions itself more visibly [music] within the global cultural conversation.

[00:00:18]Often described as the world's most prestigious international art exhibition, the Venice Biennale brings together countries, artists, and curators from across the globe. And this year, Qatar is making history. It's future permanent pavilion in the Giardini is the first new national pavilion to be added here [music] in 30 years.

[00:00:38]We gather here, however, in a difficult hour.

[00:00:41]Across our region and beyond, displacement, destruction, [music] and destabilization have become daily words. Culture connects what conflicts tries to break apart.

[00:00:53]It honors the humanity in each of us.

[00:00:57]Inside, the space feels less like a traditional gallery and more like a gathering. The project titled Untitled 2026, A Gathering of Remarkable People, [music] mixes live music, film, food, and performance.

[00:01:12]>> [music] >> Rather than focusing only on Qatari artists, the pavilion brings together voices from across the region, reflecting Qatar's broader push to position itself as a cultural hub. We are a [music] multicultural country and we very much um support that and work together with everybody. At the center of it all is a large tent-like structure designed by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. At the moment in time, you know, with all the troubles around in the world, I think it's quite important for us to have a place to come together.

[00:01:44]And also to hear and to smell and to taste like really uh things that are diverse.

[00:01:53]I think what defines the energy of the space is really the fact that you can really see art being made. So those the music you hear is really being made in that moment, being invented. So it's really vibrant place for creativity.

[00:02:10]For Qatar Museums, [music] the biennale presentation is also a preview of Rubaiyat Qatar, a new nationwide contemporary art festival launching later this year. This pavilion is about is about the idea of gathering, of listening, of conversing, of eating and sharing food together. So it really brought everything together. You're not going in to see an artwork on a wall, you're actually a part of the artwork.

[00:02:33]At a time of wider instability across the region and beyond, Qatar is using this platform to emphasize cultural dialogue, positioning art, performance, and food as ways to build connection across borders. Abdul Haleem, Euronews, Venice.