The 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys," has been plagued by months of turmoil including countries withdrawing, artists being fired, exhibitions cancelled, funding pulled, and protests during the preview. A five-person curatorial team took over after Kouoh's death, resulting in what the critic describes as a disjointed, committee-driven exhibition that prioritizes quiet contemplation and healing over direct political engagement. The central shows in the Giardini and Arsenale feature a vast, poorly explained array of art from the global south, with installations of ceramics, textiles, slide projectors, and serene natural scenes that the critic finds anachronistic and dull.
This matters because the Venice Biennale is the world's most prestigious contemporary art exhibition, and its internal collapse reflects deeper fractures in the art world over politics, representation, and the role of art in times of crisis. The critic argues that Kouoh's vision of spiritual rest feels tone-deaf amid global wars, rising far-right movements, and climate collapse, while the exhibition's lack of contextualization and curatorial coherence undermines its potential. The Biennale's struggles also highlight ongoing tensions around censorship, national representation, and the difficulty of mounting a major international exhibition in an increasingly polarized cultural landscape.