Ben Davis and Jo Lawson-Tancred of Artnet News have published complementary projects analyzing global art biennials. Davis compiled data from major biennials including Istanbul, Gwangju, São Paulo, Sharjah, and Venice over the past four years, tracking which artists have been shown most frequently worldwide since the 2022 Venice Biennale. Lawson-Tancred examined the upcoming Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, comparing the demographics of its artists to previous editions to trace shifts in the global art conversation.
These analyses matter because biennials serve as key barometers of the international art world's priorities, revealing which artists and regions gain visibility and how curatorial trends evolve. By aggregating data across multiple biennials, Davis and Lawson-Tancred provide empirical insight into the global art conversation, highlighting both familiar names and surprising newcomers. Their work offers a data-driven perspective on inclusivity, geographic representation, and the shifting centers of artistic influence, especially as the Venice Biennale prepares to open.