In Pictures: The Highlights of the 2026 Venice Biennale

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by Koyo Kouoh, opened on May 9, 2026, at the Arsenale and Giardini venues. Kouoh, who died suddenly in May 2025 at age 57, conceived the event as a counterpoint to global noise and fury, inviting visitors to slow down and tune into minor tonalities. The exhibition features works addressing colonial memory, slavery, and Gaza, with a team of four curators executing her vision. Highlights include Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons's tribute to Kouoh and Toni Morrison, Hala Schoukair's installation, and Gabrielle Goliath's "Elegy," alongside collateral shows like the Dries van Noten Foundation at Palazzo Pisani Moretta and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation's "Still Joy – from Ukraine into the World."

This biennale matters because it marks a poignant posthumous realization of Kouoh's curatorial vision, demonstrating how a major international exhibition can be completed after its director's death. It also underscores the ongoing centrality of geopolitical and postcolonial themes in contemporary art, with works by artists from Gaza, Ukraine, and Indigenous communities. The event's emphasis on slowing down and listening to marginalized voices offers a deliberate artistic response to a turbulent world, while the strong presence of foundations and private collections highlights the evolving role of philanthropy in the art ecosystem.