First Impressions of a Venice Biennale Torn Apart by the Present

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys," opens amid turmoil: its curator Koyo Kouoh died of cancer during planning, and the festival jury resigned after a controversial statement about excluding Israel and Russia from prizes, replaced by a Eurovision-style people's choice award. The main exhibition, completed by a team of five collaborators using Kouoh's plans, features over 110 artists and collectives, with highlights including works by Big Chief Demond Melanchon, Tammy Nguyen, Guadalupe Maravilla, Ayrson Heráclito, and a section focused on Michael Armitage's Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.

In Protest of Israeli Pavilion, Activists and Unions Plan Strike on Venice Biennale’s Opening Day

The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) has announced a 24-hour strike and rally on May 8, the day before the 2026 Venice Biennale opens to the public, in protest of the Israeli Pavilion. ANGA, formed in opposition to Israel's inclusion in the 2024 Biennale, refers to the current Israeli presentation—featuring Haifa-based artist Belu-Simion Fainaru—as the "Genocide Pavilion." Over 200 artists, curators, and culture workers have signed an open letter demanding Israel's exclusion, and a separate action called Solidarity Drone Chorus involved 60 artists. ANGA is collaborating with local labor and culture organizations including Biennalocene, Vogliamo Tutt'altro, S.a.L.E. Docks, and Mi Riconosci.

Venice Biennale’s fierce pussy Group Says City Censored Posters About Queer and Trans People

The lesbian artist collective fierce pussy, comprising Nancy Brooks Brody, Joy Episalla, Zoe Leonard, and Carrie Yamaoka, claims that the city of Venice censored their posters for the Venice Biennale. The posters, which feature phrases like "Welcome queers and trans people" and "we are queers and trans people" alongside a list of occupations, were intended to be pasted across the city. After the city blocked the full-scale posting, the group created stickers and placed them on walls, windows, and advertising spaces. As a concession, La Biennale installed the original posters inside the Arsenale entrance.

Venice Bound? Here’s All the News You Need to Know About This Year’s Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale is embroiled in geopolitical controversy over Russia's return to the event in 2026, which has sparked widespread backlash. Nearly 10,000 artists and cultural leaders signed an open letter opposing Russia's participation, and the European Union withdrew €2 million in funding for the 2028 edition. Leaked emails reveal Biennale officials worked with Russian pavilion commissioner Anastasia Karneeva to circumvent EU sanctions, while Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli plans to boycott the opening week. Meanwhile, activists continue to push for Israel's removal from the Biennale, though Israel will be accommodated in the Arsenale this year.

A Data Analysis of the 2026 Venice Biennale Signals a Shift to the Present

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys," marks a significant pivot from the historical revisionism of recent editions toward a focus on contemporary, mid-career artists. Posthumously realized based on the vision of the late Koyo Kouoh, the exhibition features 111 participants, including a notable inclusion of artist-led organizations from Africa. Data analysis reveals a balanced demographic split between the Global North and South, moving away from the retrospective focus of predecessors like Adriano Pedrosa and Cecilia Alemani to prioritize living artists and subtler, emotional themes.

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The 61st Venice Biennale is taking shape as national pavilions announce their participants and curatorial themes for the 2026 edition. Russia has confirmed its return to the Giardini with a multidisciplinary exhibition titled “The Tree is Rooted in the Sky,” following its 2022 withdrawal and the 2024 loan of its pavilion to Bolivia. The upcoming edition, themed “In Minor Keys,” will proceed under the vision of the late curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in 2025 after becoming the first African woman appointed to helm the prestigious event.

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The Venice Biennale has released the artist list for its 61st edition, titled "In Minor Keys," featuring 111 participants. This edition is historically unique as its curator, Koyo Kouoh, passed away in May 2025 during the exhibition's development, leaving a team of advisors including Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Helene Pereira, and Rasha Salti to realize her vision. The exhibition focuses on understated, poetic sensibilities and living artists, a departure from the larger, historically-focused surveys of recent years.

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The 61st Venice Biennale has announced the 111 participating artists for its main exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys.” Curated by a team of collaborators following the vision of the late Koyo Kouoh, the exhibition includes 105 individual artists and collectives, alongside six artist-led organizations. The show is structured around conceptual motifs such as "shrines," "rest," "procession," and "schools," featuring major installations by artists like Alvaro Barrington, Nick Cave, and Wangechi Mutu, with special tributes to Issa Samb and Beverly Buchanan.

Several Venice Biennale pavilions shut in protest over inclusion of Israel

Several national pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale shut down during the final preview day in a strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga) protesting Israel's inclusion due to its war in Gaza. Pavilions from Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Japan, Macedonia, and Korea closed entirely, while others like Britain, Spain, France, Egypt, Finland, and Luxembourg partially closed or reopened later. Artists in the main exhibition added Palestinian flags and posters reading "Palestine is the future of the world." The Israeli pavilion was closed for a private event, and earlier in the week Pussy Riot staged a protest at the Russian pavilion.

Dark clouds, protests and resignations dampen start of 61st Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale opened under grey skies and rain, with political tensions overshadowing the art world's premier event. The Russian pavilion, absent for two editions due to the Ukraine war, reappeared with a party atmosphere, though the Italian ministry of culture confirmed it would not be open to the public. The Ukrainian culture minister called Russia's symbolic presence powerful. The Iranian pavilion withdrew without explanation, and a protest by 60 artists from the In Minor Keys show marched through the Giardini humming in solidarity against Israel's participation. Over 200 artists, including Lubaina Himid and Alfredo Jaar, signed an open letter demanding the Israeli pavilion's cancellation. The event also proceeded without its curator, Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025; her curatorial team delivered the exhibition following her plans.

Li Yi-Fan “Screen Melancholy” at Palazzo delle Prigioni, Venice

The Taipei Fine Arts Museum of Taiwan is presenting a collateral event titled "Screen Melancholy" by Taiwanese artist Li Yi-Fan at the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition will take place at the Palazzo delle Prigioni from May 9 to November 22, 2026, featuring a new work by the artist.

Dana Awartani on Representing Saudi Arabia at the 61st Venice Biennale

Dana Awartani, an artist based in Jeddah, will represent Saudi Arabia at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, with her pavilion located in the Arsenale under the theme 'Celebrating Visions.' In an interview with ArtReview, Awartani discusses her exhibition, which builds on her practice of foregrounding Arab cultural histories and preserving the region's material heritage. She connects her work to the Biennale's theme 'In Minor Keys' by focusing on repair, healing, and the quiet consequences of conflict, emphasizing craft as a form of quiet resistance against mechanization. The pavilion, she says, reflects the diversity of voices within Saudi Arabia's artistic community rather than a single national narrative.

81 artists withdraw from Venice Biennale competition

Venice Biennale opening marked by protests

The 2026 Venice Biennale opened for professionals on Tuesday amid a series of protests, with more planned throughout the week. Around 60 artists from the exhibition "In Minor Keys" gathered at the Giardini for a collective action called "Solidarity Drone Chorus," inspired by Gazan composer Ahmed Muin's "Drone Song," to draw attention to genocide and war in Palestine. The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) organized a 24-hour strike for Friday 8 May, protesting Israel's participation. Pussy Riot staged a protest outside the Russian pavilion, and the Latvian pavilion launched a campaign against Russia's involvement. The protests follow a highly politicized lead-up, including calls for boycotts of the Russian, Israeli, and US pavilions, EU funding cuts over Russia's participation, and the resignation of the Biennale jury.

Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro on Representing South Korea at the 61st Venice Biennale

Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro are representing South Korea at the 61st Venice Biennale, which runs from 9 May to 22 November 2026. In an interview with ArtReview, Choi describes his sculptural installation "Meridian," featuring ruptured copper pipes that traverse the Korean Pavilion in the Giardini, exploring unseen infrastructures and unstable relations between fixed structures. Ro presents "Bearing," a membranelike waxed fabric installation with eight stations for mourning, remembering, and mending, inspired by Korean gardens and temples. Both artists respond to the Biennale's theme "In Minor Keys," emphasizing subtle forces, low vibrations, and contemplative spaces.

Genti Korini on Representing Albania at the 61st Venice Biennale

Artist Genti Korini will represent Albania at the 61st Venice Biennale with a new moving-image installation titled 'A Place in the Sun.' Curated by Małgorzata Ludwisiak, the project utilizes 'Zaum'—a transrational language from the Russian Futurist movement—to explore themes of performance, puppetry, and animation. The work investigates Albania’s historical position as a 'somewhere place' often defined by external exoticism and orientalist perceptions rather than its own internal voice.

Manon Awst and Dylan Huw on Representing Wales at the 61st Venice Biennale

Artist Manon Awst and curator Dylan Huw will represent Wales at the 61st Venice Biennale with a project titled "Sownd." The exhibition, located at the Istituto Santa Maria della Pietà, features a sculptural environment inspired by the peatlands of North Wales. Central to the installation is a wooden boardwalk that mirrors both the boggy terrain of the Welsh landscape and the flood-prone pathways of Venice, integrating material samples, oral poetic traditions, and the ancient Welsh craft of cynghanedd.

Strike Rocks Venice Biennale Ahead of Public Opening as Pavilions Close

Thousands of protesters marched through Venice to demonstrate against Israel's presence at the Venice Biennale, leading many national pavilions to close in solidarity. Pavilions from Austria, Belgium, Egypt, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, and over a dozen other countries shut fully or partially, with some displaying signs reading "We Stand with Palestine." The Israeli pavilion remained closed for its exhibition opening, and armed police clashed with protesters. The main exhibition, curated by Koyo Kouoh, stayed open initially but the Arsenale closed by late afternoon with riot police outside. The 24-hour strike, organized by Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) and Italian activist groups, was described as the largest protest in Biennale history.

Statement of Resignation

The international jury for the 61st edition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled “In Minor Keys” and curated by Koyo Kouoh, has resigned as of April 30, 2026. The jury members—Solange Oliveira Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—cite their earlier Statement of Intention issued on April 22, 2026, as the basis for their collective resignation.

An Urgent Call From Artists and Curators of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2026

A group of seventy-four artists and curators participating in the 61st Venice Biennale have issued an urgent letter to the institution's leadership, including director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. The signatories are protesting the decision to relocate the Israeli Pavilion to the Arsenale, placing it in close proximity to the central exhibition, "In Minor Keys," which was conceived by the late curator Koyo Kouoh. The group argues that this relocation violates Kouoh’s curatorial vision of radical solidarity and introduces a threatening military and police presence into the exhibition space.

In Pictures: The Highlights of the 2026 Venice Biennale

En images : les grands moments de la Biennale de Venise 2026

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by Koyo Kouoh, opened on May 9, 2026, at the Arsenale and Giardini venues. Kouoh, who died suddenly in May 2025 at age 57, conceived the event as a counterpoint to global noise and fury, inviting visitors to slow down and tune into minor tonalities. The exhibition features works addressing colonial memory, slavery, and Gaza, with a team of four curators executing her vision. Highlights include Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons's tribute to Kouoh and Toni Morrison, Hala Schoukair's installation, and Gabrielle Goliath's "Elegy," alongside collateral shows like the Dries van Noten Foundation at Palazzo Pisani Moretta and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation's "Still Joy – from Ukraine into the World."

Editor’s Letter: Still, Listening

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, opens in May 2026, shifting focus from Eurocentric narratives to quieter, relational, and improvisational voices from the Global South. ArtAsiaPacific's May/June issue honors Kouoh's vision with features on artists including Gala Porras-Kim (a 2025 MacArthur Fellow), Khaled Sabsabi (representing Australia), and others like Liang Yuanwei, Yuko Mohri, Mona Hatoum, Tadanori Yokoo, Gayane Umerova, Li Yi-Fan, Hyeree Ro, and Ei Arakawa-Nash, with contributions from a curatorial team that carried Kouoh's work forward after her death in 2025.

Minor Keys and Major Silences: Yoshiko Shimada and the Art of Outrage

Yoshiko Shimada, a Japanese feminist and antiwar artist, is featured in a conversation with ArtAsiaPacific ahead of her inclusion in the 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys." The article explores Shimada's decades-long practice of excavating the gendered scars of Japanese imperialism, focusing on her collaborative work with BuBu de la Madeleine, which uses drag and irony to critique imperial frameworks and the erasure of wartime atrocities. It also highlights her revival of the Chū-pi-ren movement, a 1970s feminist group that fought for abortion rights and access to birth control, arguing that their legacy remains urgent in 2026 given Japan's slow progress on women's bodily autonomy.

Venice Biennale’s jury resigns

The entire jury of the 61st Venice Biennale, presided by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas and comprising four other curators, resigned just nine days before the exhibition's scheduled opening on 9 May 2026. The jury had announced it would not award prizes to countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a move widely understood to target Israel and Russia. In response, the Biennale's organisers cancelled the prize-giving ceremony and will instead award Golden Lions via a popular vote among ticketholders. The row escalated further when the Israeli representative, sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, accused the jury of discrimination and threatened legal action, prompting intervention from Italy's culture ministry.

India pavilion returns to the Venice Art Biennale 2026 with a bang after seven-year hiatus

India has returned to the Venice Art Biennale with a national pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition, after a seven-year hiatus. The pavilion, titled "Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home," is presented by India's Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre and Serendipity Arts Foundation, curated by Amin Jaffer. It features five artists—Alwar Balasubramaniam, Sumakshi Singh, Ranjani Shettar, Skarma Sonam Tashi, and Asim Waqif—whose works explore themes of home, loss, displacement, and cultural memory through materials like soil, thread, bamboo, and clay.

At this year's Venice Biennale, a clash of politics and art exposes the need for a rethink

The 2026 Venice Biennale is plagued by controversy and structural issues. Curator Koyo Kouoh died of cancer in 2025, leaving her team to execute the main exhibition "In Minor Keys" without her. The Biennale's jury resigned after refusing to judge entries from countries charged with war crimes, and media coverage during preview week focused on protests against the Israeli and Russian pavilions rather than the art. The sprawling exhibition features 96 national pavilions and 110 artists, with works ranging from Daniel Lind-Ramos's found-material figures to María Magdalena Campos-Pons's tribute to Toni Morrison and Kouoh.

Ten Political Statements By Artists At The 2026 Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale opened with unprecedented political tension, set against the backdrop of the international jury's mass resignation, the death of curator Koyo Kouoh, Russia's closed pavilion, threats from the European Commission to withdraw funding, and Italy's culture minister boycotting the opening. The article highlights ten works and moments where art and power intersected most explicitly, including Alfredo Jaar's 'Red Room' installation in the Chilean pavilion confronting humanitarian crisis, and Ukraine's collateral event 'Still Joy' at Palazzo Contarini Polignac, which frames joy as an act of resistance amid war.

Patricia Li: An Art And Design Guide To Venice

Patricia Li, writing for Vogue Circle, shares a curated guide to art and design destinations in Venice beyond the main venues of the Venice Biennale. Her recommendations include the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana (part of the Pinault Collection), the newly opened Fondazione Dries Van Noten, and Fondazione Prada, each hosting special exhibitions timed to the Biennale.

Monumental Portrait of Late Biennale Curator Koyo Kouoh Unveiled in Venice

A monumental portrait of late Venice Biennale curator Koyo Kouoh, created by American artist Derrick Adams, has been unveiled in Venice ahead of the Biennale's public opening. The collage, titled *Heavy is the head that wears the crown* (2026), is displayed near the Arsenale until September 24. Kouoh, who died unexpectedly in May 2025 at age 57, was the first African woman to curate the Biennale. Adams' work uses golden hues and flattened forms to celebrate Kouoh's legacy, referencing the pressures of leadership and the joy she brought to the art world.

Venice Biennale jury resigns in latest politically charged controversy at art exhibition

The entire jury of the Venice Biennale has resigned, including president Solange Farkas and members Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. The jury had announced it would not consider for prizes countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a stance that would affect Israel and Russia, both of which have national pavilions at the exhibition. As a result, the Biennale will not award several jury prizes, including the Golden Lion for best national pavilion and best artist in the group show, replacing them with visitor-voted awards.