The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, opened in May 2026 amid significant turmoil. The Austrian Pavilion features Florentina Holzinger's performance piece "Seaworld Venice," centered on a giant bell that chimes hourly. The biennale has been marked by the death of its curator, the resignation of the international jury over the inclusion of Russia and Israel, protests by Pussy Riot and the Art Not Genocide Alliance, and the cancellation of the South African Pavilion over Gabrielle Goliath's "Elegy," which honors murdered women including a Palestinian poet. The US Pavilion's state-sponsored offerings have also drawn criticism.
This edition matters because it reflects the deepening intersection of art and geopolitics, with national pavilions becoming flashpoints for protest and censorship. The absence of official awards and the shift to "Visitors' Lions" underscores the biennale's struggle to maintain its authority amid political fractures. The event also highlights the fragility of arts funding and freedom of expression globally, as well as the ongoing power of art to memorialize and resist, as seen in Goliath's independent installation.