Sara Shamma will represent Syria at the 61st Venice Biennale (2026) with a large-scale immersive installation titled *The Tower Tomb of Palmyra*. The 15-meter-high multisensory work combines painting, architecture, light, sound, and scent, inspired by the ancient funerary towers of Palmyra that were destroyed during the Syrian War. Shamma describes the piece as a reflection on loss, resilience, and cultural memory, and notes its resonance with the Biennale's theme, *In Minor Keys*, curated by Koyo Kouoh.
This participation matters because it marks Syria's cultural reemergence on the global stage after years of war, using the Venice Biennale as a platform for dialogue and heritage preservation. Shamma's work addresses urgent questions about identity, destruction, and renewal, while the national pavilion format itself becomes a site for nuanced cultural expression amid rising nationalism. The interview, part of ArtReview's daily series leading up to the Biennale, highlights how art can foster reflection and cross-cultural understanding in a polarized world.