Eight countries will stage national pavilions at the Biennale for the first time. Among the newcomers are Kyrgyzstan, whose immersive installation “Gates of Turan” by Tehran-born artist Firouz FarmanFarmaian, is housed in a yurt and explores nomadic identity, and Oman, which debuts with an exhibition tracing 50 years of the sultanate’s contemporary art and includes the final works of the late sound artist Raiya Al Rawahi. Multimedia artist Tsherin Sherpa will use the inaugural Nepal pavilion as a chance to break down the country’s stereotype as a mythical utopia, while Kampala-based artists Acaye Kerunen and Collin Sekajugo, representing Uganda, turn attention to local craft traditions and interrogate the western dominance of mainstream culture. KF