Abbas Akhavan, representing Canada at the 2026 Venice Biennale, has transformed the Canada Pavilion into a greenhouse-like installation titled “Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup.” The pavilion’s wooden door has been replaced with glass, revealing a pond of pinkish water illuminated by sunlight and LED grow-lamps. Visitors encounter mossy boulders, a vintage fur coat sprayed with mist, sharpened bronze sticks, and frosted mirrors that blur the architecture. Three giant Bolivian water lilies, grown from seeds sent from Kew Gardens to Padua, will gradually fill the pond over the summer. Akhavan describes his role as a “custodian” rather than a controller, emphasizing the unpredictability of nature.
The installation matters because it challenges the traditional role of the artist and the viewer in a major international art event. By ceding control to natural processes and designing the space to discourage selfie-taking, Akhavan prompts reflection on humanity’s relationship with nature and technology. The work also references colonial history through the water lilies, which were showcased at the 1851 Great Exhibition as symbols of British imperial reach. This project repositions the national pavilion as a site of ecological stewardship rather than artistic ego, offering a timely meditation on humility and interdependence.