Congolese choreographer Faustin Linyekula is staging "The Galeazze Project," a performance in a 16th-century shipyard complex in Venice that has been inaccessible since World War II and never open to the public. Commissioned by the nonprofit Scuola Piccola Zattere, the work will bring up to 500 people into the 32,291-square-foot open-air ruin for two nights during the 2026 Venice Biennale preview week. The rental fee from the performance will help stabilize and restore the floors of the historic Galeazze site.
This project matters because it challenges the traditional Venice Biennale model of the artist as a lone genius, instead presenting the artist as a facilitator and collaborator. Linyekula worked with local students, musicians, and the Venetian label Cosmogram, creating a shared authorship that contrasts with the Biennale's typical star-making machinery. The performance also represents a savvy cultural heritage strategy, using contemporary art to fund the restoration of a long-abandoned historical site.