“L’arte dovrebbe metterci a disagio, non proteggerci”. Intervista all’artista del Padiglione Paesi Bassi alla Biennale 2026
Dutch artist Dries Verhoeven and curator Rieke Vos have transformed the Netherlands Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale into a progressively closing structure titled "The Fortress." Designed by Gerrit Rietveld, the pavilion slowly shuts itself off from light as metal shutters descend, plunging visitors into darkness where performers use death-metal grunting as a visceral, physical language. The work became one of the most politically charged sites at the Biennale after a temporary closure in solidarity with the ANGA movement against Israeli presence at the Giardini.
The pavilion critiques Europe's contemporary obsession with self-protection and the widening gap between the West's moral self-image and its actual political behavior. Verhoeven challenges the Biennale's pretense of neutrality, arguing that its national-pavilion structure perpetuates outdated colonial power dynamics. The work underscores the need for art that unsettles rather than reassures, forcing audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about European identity, cognitive dissonance, and the illusion of cultural innocence.