Performance by Taus Makhacheva: And What Did You Say?

The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates presents And What Did You Say? (2026), a newly commissioned performance by artist Taus Makhacheva, as part of the exhibition Washwasha at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. Washwasha is curated by Bana Kattan with assistant curator Tala Nassar.

And What Did You Say? is a two-part work comprising a choreographed performance and an interactive bench installation with sound. The installation includes opening compartments that house the props and costumes, which will be used during the performance. Located at the entrance of the pavilion, the bench includes headphones with dialogue that guides visitors through inner monologues, scripted conversations, and narrated commentary on the historical and contemporary uses and consequences of gossip. Taken together, the work explores the multiple utilities of gossip, such as care and allyship, horizontal knowledge sharing, coping strategies, political commentary, and gatekeeping and harm.

In the performance, Taus Makhacheva approaches gossip with an inquisitiveness on its potentiality, ruminating on the idea of "metabolizing gossip" and turning it into movement. Performed by dancers Anna Abalikhina, Rei Kassandra Co, and Salvatore De Simone, each of the three performers represents a different stage of gossip: the "source," the "spread," and the "core." The performers who embody these characters guide the audience through the ways gossip enters the body: how it is carried, how it mutates, how it settles, and how it departs.

Taus Makhacheva, artist, said: "Gossip is often dismissed, yet it is one of the ways people navigate the world. I was interested in its ability to move inside the body and between bodies, voices, and communities, constantly changing shape as it travels. In And What Did You Say?, gossip becomes both material and method—a way of thinking through how information, care, power, and imagination circulate."

Bana Kattan, Curator, said: "Taus Makhacheva’s performance touches on some of the central themes of Washwasha. Gossip operates as a form of social choreography: it moves through networks, influences relationships, and carries histories that often exist outside official records. Through movement, And What Did You Say? invites audiences to consider the complexity of gossip as a cultural practice."

Laila Binbrek, Director, National Pavilion UAE, said: "We are delighted to present this commissioned performance by Taus Makhacheva as part of the National Pavilion UAE’s participation at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. By bringing together performance, sound, and installation, And What Did You Say? expands the experience of Washwasha and offers visitors new ways to engage with the exhibition’s themes."

And What Did You Say? (2026) is performed at the National Pavilion UAE as part of the exhibition Washwasha. The exhibition presents six artists whose practices span generations and disciplines, bringing together newly commissioned and existing works by Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash, and Taus Makhacheva. A phonetic transliteration of the Arabic word for "whispering," Washwasha is a starting point for exploring themes of movement, technology, oral histories, and the relationship between language, body, and identity. The exhibition invites visitors to consider how sound informs identity and collective memory within a rapidly changing cultural context, offering new ways to listen to the invisible and overlooked histories that shape the Emirates today.

The Venice Biennale 2026 marks the UAE’s fifteenth participation at the International Art and Architecture Exhibitions of La Biennale di Venezia and its ninth participation in the International Art Exhibition.

The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the UAE Ministry of Culture, with a permanent pavilion at the Arsenale—Sale d’Armi.

And What Did You Say? by Taus Makhacheva
Location: National Pavilion UAE at the Arsenale—Sale d’Armi
Dates: July 24, 25, 26, and 28, 2026
Performance times: 2pm and 5pm (30-minute duration)

For press enquiries, please contact Florian Vanicatte at florian@sendreceive.eu and press@nationalpavilionuae.org.