American artist Hernan Bas has created a series of 40 paintings critiquing modern tourism, set to open in May at Ca' Pesaro–International Gallery of Modern Art in Venice during the Biennale. Titled "The Visitors," the exhibition depicts young white male American tourists engaging in objectionable behaviors worldwide—from begpacking to visiting disaster sites—painted with Bas's signature attention to clothing details. The works were developed during a residency in Venice, a city emblematic of overtourism, in collaboration with Victoria Miro, Lehmann Maupin, and Perrotin galleries.
The exhibition matters because it directly confronts the problematic dynamics of Western tourism at a time when America's global presence feels increasingly contentious. By focusing on entitled, disconnected travelers who treat foreign cultures as backdrops for social media content, Bas holds a mirror to contemporary travel culture and its ethical failures. The show's timing and location—in Venice, one of the world's most touristed cities, during the prestigious Biennale—amplifies its critique, making it a pointed commentary on privilege, consumption, and the commodification of experience.