Ayan Farah and Asmaa Jama, two of the three artists representing Somalia at the 61st Venice Biennale (2026), discuss their plans for the national pavilion in an interview with ArtReview. Farah will present an installation of large-scale embroidered landscape paintings using clay pigment sourced from Somalia and shell-derived pigment from Scotland, alongside silk paintings exploring time and nature. Jama will focus on the Somali poetry form saddexleey, creating a sensorial experience through moving image, installation, and visual artworks that draw on magical realism and cinematic surrealism. The pavilion is located in the Palazzo Caboto, and the third representative is poet Warsan Shire.
The interview is part of a series of questionnaires sent to artists and curators of national pavilions ahead of the 2026 Venice Biennale, which runs from 9 May to 22 November. The responses highlight how the artists engage with the Biennale's theme, "In Minor Keys," by exploring hidden histories, material traces, and marginal voices. Farah and Jama reflect on the importance of the Venice Biennale as a platform for international visibility and cross-cultural encounter, while also acknowledging the complexities of national pavilions in an era of rising nationalism. The article underscores the significance of Somalia's participation, given the country's history of cultural destruction, and positions the pavilion as a means to reclaim and celebrate Somali artistic lineage.