Alice Maher, one of several Irish artists at the 61st Venice Biennale, presents three works in the Arsenale as part of the group exhibition “In Minor Keys,” curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. Her presentation includes a reconstructed 1996 installation *Les Filles d’Ouranos*, a new series of drawings and sculptures titled “The Sibyls” (2025), and a collaborative textile piece *The Map* (2021) made with Rachel Fallon. In a conversation with Frank Wasser, Maher discusses the political conditions surrounding this year’s Biennale, including institutional resignations, debates over national representation, and the inclusion of the Israeli and Russian pavilions.
The conversation matters because Maher insists that art cannot be separated from the political and social realities that structure exhibition spaces like the Venice Biennale. Her stance challenges the notion of art as a neutral zone, instead framing cultural production as deeply implicated in systems of power, violence, and solidarity. This perspective resonates amid ongoing controversies about national pavilions and representation, reinforcing the idea that artists and institutions must confront rather than ignore the political forces shaping the art world.