This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast is a Venice Biennale special, covering the opening week of the 2026 edition. Host Ben Luke, along with Louisa Buck and Jane Morris, reviews the main exhibition "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Koyo Kouoh and realized by five collaborators. The podcast features interviews with artists Gabrielle Goliath, whose work for the South African pavilion was cancelled and is instead staged in a Venice church, and Lubaina Himid, showing in the British pavilion. It also includes conversations with writer Saidiya Hartman and Daniella Kaliada of Belarus Free Theatre about their collateral projects. The episode concludes with a focus on two restored Tintoretto paintings at the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, funded by Save Venice.
This episode matters because it provides immediate, on-the-ground critical perspectives on one of the most important events in the global art calendar, the Venice Biennale. By covering the main exhibition, national pavilions, collateral events, and a major restoration project, the podcast offers a comprehensive snapshot of contemporary art's key themes, including curatorial transitions, political tensions (as seen in the cancelled South African pavilion), and the intersection of art with broader cultural discourse. The inclusion of artists and thinkers highlights the Biennale's role as a platform for urgent artistic and social conversations.