The 61st Venice Biennale's main exhibition, 'In Minor Keys', curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, has opened after her sudden passing in 2025. Kouoh had fully planned the exhibition before her death, and a team of seven realized her vision. The show features 110 artists, including Wangechi Mutu, Nick Cave, Alfredo Jaar, and emerging talents like Ranti Bam. It opens with a poem by Refaat Alareer and an installation by Khaled Sabsabi, setting a contemplative tone amid themes of mourning, grief, and healing. The exhibition also highlights minority perspectives, including Caribbean and Central American artists, and confronts colonial histories through works like Florence Lazar's film on a hurricane-exposed necropolis.
This exhibition matters because it navigates profound loss—both the curator's death and global conflicts—while maintaining a meditative, healing thread. It arrives amid controversy: the biennale's jury resigned after legal action by Israel's artist representative over the jury's refusal to consider pavilions from countries led by ICC-convicted leaders, affecting Russia and Israel. Large protests occurred at both pavilions on opening day. The show's focus on human experience, grief, and resilience in troubled times makes it a politically and emotionally charged landmark for the art world.