ArtReview published a questionnaire sent to artists and curators participating in the 61st Venice Biennale (2026), featuring responses from Alma Allen, who is representing the United States at the Giardini pavilion. Allen gave cryptic, philosophical answers, declined to answer several questions, and criticized the art world establishment, calling outsider artists the most important and refusing to provide a framework for interpreting her work. The article includes details about her bronze sculpture "Not Yet Titled" (2023) and her reflections on US identity, violence, and bureaucracy.
This article matters because it offers a rare, unfiltered glimpse into the mindset of an artist selected for a prestigious national pavilion at a major international biennial, revealing tensions between institutional expectations and artistic autonomy. Allen's dismissive attitude toward the questionnaire and her emphasis on outsider art challenge the conventional narratives of national representation and art-world professionalism, making this a provocative commentary on the role of national pavilions in an era of rising nationalism.