61st Venice Biennale
| 61st Venice Biennale | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Art exhibition |
| Begins | May 6, 2026 (preview), May 9, 2026 (public) |
| Ends | November 22, 2026 |
| Location | Venice |
| Country | Italy |
Previous event | 60th Venice Biennale (2024) |
The 61st Venice Biennale is a global international contemporary art exhibition that is being held in 2026 with participants from 99 countries[1] with public exhibitions days running from May 9 until November 22 with preview days started May 6.[2]
The declared theme for the main curatorial exhibit as "In Minor Keys," which was selected by Koyo Kouoh, chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. However Kouoh died a year before the opening, leaving her collaborators to fill out her vision.[3][4]
This edition has been marred by several controversies, including the resignation of the jury days before the festival was scheduled to start, an initial jury announcement that it would not give awards to countries whose leaders were being indicted for war crimes, and the absence of the Italian minister of culture for the first time in the biennale's history.[1][5]
Background
[edit]The Venice Biennale is an international art biennial exhibition held in Venice, Italy. Often described as "the Olympics of the art world", participation in the Biennale is a prestigious event for contemporary artists. The festival has become a constellation of shows: a central exhibition curated by that year's artistic director, national pavilions hosted by individual nations, and independent exhibitions throughout Venice. The Biennale parent organization also hosts regular festivals in other arts: architecture, dance, film, music, and theater.[6]
Outside of the central, international exhibition, individual nations produce their own shows, known as pavilions, as their national representation. Nations that own their pavilion buildings, such as the 30 housed on the Giardini, are responsible for their own upkeep and construction costs as well.[6] Nations without dedicated buildings create pavilions in the Venice Arsenale and palazzos throughout the city.[7]
Central exhibition
[edit]Koyo Kouoh, chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, was selected to serve as the 61st Venice Biennale's artistic director but died in May 2025 from liver cancer only days after a diagnosis.[8][9] Nonetheless, the festival, in conjunction with the family continued her theme of "In Minor Keys."[10]
Ultimately there were 110 invited participants.
Controversies
[edit]The decision by the Biennale president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, to allow Russia, Israel and the United States to participate has drawn various protests from individuals, government ministries, and funders[11].
Participation of Israel
[edit]
More than 200 participants of the Venice Biennale signed a letter organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga) demanding the cancellation of the Israeli pavilion.[1][12]
The Israeli exhibit will not take place in the traditional building in the main area of the Biennale called the Giardini. Instead it will be in the Arsenale section.
After the jury announced it would not award prizes to artists from countries whose leaders were being tried for war crimes, Israel's foreign ministry released a statement saying that that excluding Israeli artists had "transformed the Biennale from an open artistic space of free, boundless ideas into a spectacle of false, anti-Israeli political indoctrination."[13]
Participation of Russia
[edit]
After being absent for the 2022 and 2024 Venice Biennale following the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian pavilion was accepted with an exhibit titled "The Tree is Rooted in the Sky," for the 2026 edition over the objections of the Italian minister of culture, who said he would boycott the opening ceremonies, the first time that has take place in Biennale history.[12] The European Commission condemned the inclusion of Russia and threatened to withdraw a $2 million grant for the Biennale the decision was not reversed by May 11.[1]
Russia announced that its pavilion would not be open to the public, though the media would be allowed to visit during the preview days and the art, which contains floral pieces, could be seen through the building's windows.[1][14]
Participation of the US
[edit]
The United States had an atypical selection process for its pavilion. State Department officials abandoned using an independent review panel to choose the artist, a practice that has been in place for decades. It selected a commissioner, Jenni Pardo, who had no experience with museums but owned a pet food store. Then officials struggled to find an artist willing to represent the country, with at least two rejecting the offer, in part because of the financial risk. Finally curator Jeffrey Uslip selected Alma Allen, a U.S.-born artist who lives in Mexico.[15] Two of his galleries then dropped international representation.
The US was also criticized by Anish Kapoor, because of their "abhorrent politics of hate" and its "incessant warmongering".[12]
Participation of South Africa
[edit]South Africa withdrew its participation after the South African minister of culture cancelled Elegy, a video installation by Gabrielle Goliath that mourns the victims of Israel's attack on Gaza, as the South African pavilion selection for the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale.[16]
Instead the piece moved to the Chiesa di Sant'Antonin in Castello, a historic church dating back to the seventh century.[17]
Resignation of the Jury
[edit]On April 30, 2026, it was announced that all jurors of the Biennale decided to resign their positions. The jury consisted of five personalities, led by Brazilian Solange Farkas. Further members were Zoe Butt (Australia), Elvira Dyangani Ose (Spain), Marta Kuzma (US) and Giovanna Zapperi (Italy). No country was mentioned, but all five jurors declared their reluctance to honor artists from countries whose leadership is under investigation by the International Criminal Court. This would have applied to Russia and Israel; there are arrest warrants against Putin (since 2023) and against Netanyahu (since 2024).[18]
Because the Biennale now lacks a jury, the award ceremony was postponed from the opening to closure of the festival, and it was unclear whether awards would be distributed. Instead, there shall be two "Leoni dei Visitatori", to be awarded by the visitors of the exhibitions.[19]
Australian pavillon
[edit]Australia, after selecting Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino to create a work for the Australia Pavilion in February 2025, rescinded their decision a week later. After News Corp news outlet The Australian raised concerns and the matter was raised in Parliament. The decision led to outrage in the artistic community and resignations from the board of the commissioning body, Creative Australia, and the other five shortlisted artistic teams have said that they would not allow their work to be shown.[20][21][22] A senator called the affair an ″international embarressment″, the artist declared that he could not sleep any longer, having nightmares being so traumatized. Thereafter a crowdfunding and a "plea for help" for an independent participation of the artist were initiated. Some members of the staff and the board resigned, an outrage among artists led to resignation requests, a letter of staff members criticized the "culture of fear, discrimination and mismanagement".[23] Following an independent review and massive public pressure, the decision was reversed in July 2025. Creative Australia apologized to Sabsabi, and he was officially reinstated as the representative for 2026.
May 8 artist strike
[edit]A number of the pavilions closed on Friday, May 8 as artists participated in a strike to protest over Israel's participation. Pavilions impacted included Austria, Japan, South Korean, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Egypt among others. [24]
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Artists on strike at the Japan Pavilion -
Baby dolls on strike -
Signs of protest at the Japan Pavilion -
Artists and curators on strike at Czech and Slovak Pavilion -
France Pavilion on strike -
The chained doors of Belgium Pavilion -
Signs blocking the Belgium Pavilion -
The shuttered Netherlands Pavilion -
Shuttered South Korea Pavilion -
Shuttered Austrian Pavilion
National pavilions
[edit]Countries began to announce their national representatives even before the previous exhibition closed in 2024.[25] Each country selects artists to show at their pavilion, ostensibly with an eye to the Biennale's theme.[6]
Countries who had official national pavilions for the first time at the 61st Biennale included Republic of Guinea, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Nauru, Republic of Sierra Leone, Federal Republic of Somalia, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Separately, El Salvador participated for the first time with its own dedicated pavilion.[26]
| Nation | Location | Artist(s) | Curator(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Giardini | Genti Korini | Małgorzata Ludwisiak | [27] |
| Australia | Giardini | Khaled Sabsabi | Michael Dagostino | [27] |
| Austria | Giardini | Florentina Holzinger | [27] | |
| The Bahamas | Giardini | Lavar Munroe and John Beadle | Krista Thompson | [27] |
| Belgium | Giardini | Miet Warlop | Caroline Dumalin | [27] |
| Canada | Giardini | Abbas Akhavan | [27] | |
| The Netherlands | Giardini | Dries Verhoeven | Rieke Vos | [28] |
| Estonia | Around Venice | Merike Estna | [27] | |
| France | Giardini | Yto Barrada | [27] | |
| Iceland | Docks Cantieri Cucchini | Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir | Margrét Áskelsdóttir and Unnar Örn Auðarson | [27] |
| Indonesia | Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Cannaregio | Agus Suwage, Syahrizal Pahlevi, R .E. Hartanto, Nurdian Ichsan, Theresia Agustina Sitompul (Terre), Mariam Sofrina and Rusyan Yasin | Aminudin TH Siregar | |
| Ireland | Around Venice | Isabel Nolan | Georgina Jackson | [27] |
| Luxembourg | Around Venice | Aline Bouvy | Stilbé Schroeder | [27] |
| Switzerland | Giardini | Miriam Laura Leonardi, Yul Tomatala, Nina Wakeford | Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler | [27] |
| Taiwan | Around Venice | Li Yi-Fan | [27] | |
| United States of America | Giardini | Alma Allen | Jeffrey Uslip | [27] |
Belarusian independent participation
[edit]Although Belarus did not have an official state-sponsored national pavilion due to the political aftermath of the 2020 protests, the country was represented by an independent collateral event titled "Official. Unofficial. Belarus."[29] Organized by the Belarus Free Theatre and curated by Natalia Kaliada and Daniela Kaliada, the immersive exhibition took place in the Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista. The project aimed to recreate the atmosphere of totalitarian control, censorship, and political repression.[30] The opening of the exhibition was attended by prominent Belarusian democratic leaders and figures of the 2020 protests, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maria Kalesnikava, and Viktar Babaryka.[29]
Among the featured artworks were a 2.5-meter sphere conceptualized by Mikalai Khalezin made of 336 books banned in Belarus, a cross constructed from CCTV cameras, and traditional Belarusian straw amulets (pavuki) made from metal prison bars by Vladimir Tsesler. The exhibition also included monumental paintings by Siarhiej Hrynievič, a 20-minute organ soundscape by composer Volha Padhajskaja, and a culinary metaphor of imprisonment—a tasteless wafer causing temporary facial numbness—created by the Michelin-starred Danish chef Rasmus Munk.[29]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Palumbo, Jacqui (May 1, 2026). "The world's most important art festival is imploding over Russia and Israel". CNN. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ "Biennale Arte 2024 | La Biennale Arte 2026 si terrà dal 9 maggio al 22 novembre". La Biennale di Venezia (in Italian). February 28, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ^ "Venice Biennale Artists Push to Ban U.S., Israel, and Russia From Exhibition". Artnet News. March 31, 2026. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ^ Marshall, Alex (April 29, 2026). "A Curator Died Suddenly. Could the Art World's Most Important Event Be Saved?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Venice Biennale jury resigns days before start of top art exhibition". www.bbc.com. April 30, 2026. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ a b c Russeth, Andrew (April 17, 2019). "The Venice Biennale: Everything You Could Ever Want to Know". ARTnews. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Herriman, Kat (May 16, 2019). "What to See at the Venice Biennale". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019.
- ^ Greenberger, Alex (December 3, 2024). "Koyo Kouoh Named Curator of 2026 Venice Biennale". ARTnews.com. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ https://artreview.com/koyo-kouoh-pan-african-curator-and-director-of-mocaa-1967-2025/
- ^ Carollo, Elisa (February 25, 2026). "The Venice Biennale Announces 111 Artists for Its 2026 Edition, Koyo Kouoh's "In Minor Keys"". Observer. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ^ Greenberger, Alex (January 12, 2026). "Israel Plots Venice Biennale Return as Artists Threaten to Boycott". ARTnews.com. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ a b c Bakare, Lanre; Tondo, Lorenzo (May 4, 2026). "Anish Kapoor says US's 'politics of hate' should exclude it from Venice Biennale". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ Marshall, Alex (April 30, 2026). "Venice Biennale Jury Resigns Amid Tension Over Awards Ban". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ Bakare, Lanre (May 5, 2026). "Dark clouds, protests and resignations dampen start of 61st Venice Biennale". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ Small, Zachary (May 5, 2026). "The Venice Biennale and Its Many Flashpoints: An Explainer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Hyperallergic's Guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale". Hyperallergic. April 23, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Art Movements: A Canceled Biennale Show Finds a New Home". Hyperallergic. March 26, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ The Kyiv Independent: Venice Art Biennale's jury resigns in protest over Russian, Israeli presence just days before festival starts, 30 April 2026
- ^ ORF: Jury tritt aus Protest geschlossen zurück, 1 May 2026
- ^ Cmielewski, Cecelia (February 14, 2025). "'A shameful call by Creative Australia': the arts community reacts to Khaled Sabsabi being dropped from the Venice Biennale". The Conversation. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
- ^ Crabb, Annabel (February 18, 2025). "How Creative Australia's perplexing backflip on Khaled Sabsabi defines our current moment of turmoil". ABC News. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
- ^ Solomon, Tessa (February 20, 2025). "Khaled Sabsabi Will Not Be Reinstated as Australia's Venice Biennale Representative". ARTnews.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
- ^ The Installation Art Podcast: Bonus: Why This 2026 Venice Biennale Scandal Is Splitting the Art World – with Carrie Scott
- ^ Marshall, Alex (May 8, 2026). "Artists' Strike Closes Pavilions at Venice Biennale, Adding to Upheaval". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ^ "First Pavilions Announced for 2026 Venice Biennale". November 7, 2024.
- ^ "Hyperallergic's Guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale". Hyperallergic. April 23, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "2026 Venice Biennale pavilions: your go-to list [updated]". ArtReview. November 26, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ "Dries Verhoeven selected as Dutch entry for the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia". Mondriaan Fund. August 4, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Здранцвенне і страх. Беларусы ўдзельнічаюць у Венецыянскім біенале з ашаламляльным павільёнам" [Numbness and fear. Belarusians participate in the Venice Biennale with a stunning pavilion]. Nasha Niva (in Belarusian). May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ^ "На Венецыянскай біенале адкрыўся беларускі незалежны праект «Official. Unofficial. Belarus»" [Belarusian independent project "Official. Unofficial. Belarus" opened at the Venice Biennale]. Reform.news (in Belarusian). May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
