The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Swiss-Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, opened in 2026. The main exhibition at the Arsenale and Giardini features works by artists such as Éric Baudelaire, Maria Magdalena Campos Pons, Mohammed Z. Rahman, Sohrab Hura, and Rose Salane, among others. The exhibition centers on themes of mourning, colonial history, slavery, and healing, with works like Baudelaire's video installation linking the flower trade to the transatlantic slave trade, and a tribute section honoring artists Beverly Buchanan and Issa Samb.
The article argues that while the biennale is visually seductive, responsibly researched, and culturally diplomatic, it ultimately feels lifeless—a protest conducted with fine-print slogans and no concrete demands. The critic suggests that this approach, which offers mourning as an opportunity for collective sensibility and healing, has become a relic from a bygone era, lacking the urgency and impact needed for contemporary political art.