The 59^th edition of the Venice Biennale will run for six months from 23 April to 27 November 2022.

The inaugural Pavilion of the Sultanate of Oman in Venice brings together an exhibition of work representing three generations of Omani artists whose practice spans five decades of modern and contemporary visual art. Exploring the dynamic and intergenerational dialogue of Oman’s art movement over the past fifty years, the multimedia display will reveal the breadth of Oman’s cultural history and unique traditions in the visual arts on an international scale.

Oman’s historic participation at the 2022 Venice Biennale is a major step in the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth overall mission to support the visual arts in Oman and to reinforce its position within the global cultural community.

Curatorial Brief

The Biennale Arte is one of the oldest and most significant contemporary art events worldwide, and is often described as ‘The Olympics of the Art World’.  Taking place every two years, the showcase consists of three parts:

• ● The International Art Exhibition, led by a specially selected curator
• ● National Pavilions, each with its own curator and project
• ● Collateral Events, independently organised exhibitions approved by the Biennale curator

The last edition of the Biennale Arte in 2019 presented ninety National Participations, two Special Projects, and twenty-one Collateral Events.

The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth has commissioned the Oman Pavilion in Venice under the patronage of His Highness, Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth. 

The artists were selected by the curator, Dr Aisha Stoby.