Art adviser and Performance Space New York board chair Thomas Rom shares his personal reflections on the 2026 Venice Biennale vernissage week, highlighting the main exhibition "In Minor Keys" curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, as well as collateral shows and national pavilions. Rom describes the main exhibition as deeply compelling and essential for understanding a global cultural landscape outside traditional frameworks, and he offers observations on works by artists including Maja Malou Lyse, Abbas Akhavan, Bogna Burska, Daniel Kotowski, Tori Wrånes, and Miet Warlop.
This article matters because it provides an insider's perspective on the Venice Biennale, one of the most important events in the contemporary art world, through the eyes of a prominent art adviser and institutional board member. Rom's reflections underscore the Biennale's role as a platform for experimental, non-linear storytelling and highlight how national pavilions and collateral exhibitions engage with urgent themes such as societal exhaustion, displacement, and communication beyond language.