Margaret Whyte, an artist from Uruguay, is set to represent her country at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, with her pavilion located in the Giardini. In an interview with ArtReview, Whyte discusses her exhibition, which builds on her earlier show "Tiempo de Escuchar" at the National Museum of Visual Arts in Uruguay, curated by Patricia Bentancur. Her work is inspired by Nassim N. Taleb's book "Antifragile" (2012), exploring themes of chaos, uncertainty, and resilience. She sees her antifragile approach as complementary to the Biennale's theme, "In Minor Keys," curated by Koyo Kouoh, emphasizing emotional depth, silence, and healing.
Whyte's participation highlights the ongoing relevance of national pavilions in a time of rising nationalism, noting that while politics and ideology are embedded in art, she enjoyed complete creative freedom. The interview is part of ArtReview's series profiling artists and curators ahead of the Biennale, which runs from 9 May to 22 November 2026. This matters because it showcases how smaller nations like Uruguay use the global platform of the Venice Biennale to present their artistic voices and cultural perspectives, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and challenging dominant narratives.