Sculptor Alma Allen has spoken out for the first time about the backlash he faced after accepting the commission to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale. In a rare interview on the podcast *Time Sensitive*, recorded at his home in Tepotzlán, Mexico, Allen described the response as “a little stressful” but said he never hesitated when curator Jeffrey Uslip invited him last fall. His selection sparked controversy because the State Department’s requirement that proposals “reflect and promote American values” while not promoting DEI initiatives led higher-profile artists like William Eggleston and Barbara Chase-Riboud to refuse. Allen’s former galleries, Mendes Wood and Olney Gleason, dropped him after he accepted, though he has since joined Perrotin. He also hinted that his exhibition, “Call Me the Breeze,” will include work about conflict and surveillance.
This controversy matters because it highlights the politicization of the U.S. Pavilion at a time when government mandates are reshaping cultural diplomacy. Allen’s selection has revived debates about the purpose of art and whether an artist can meaningfully represent a nation under fraught political conditions. As a self-taught outsider who has nonetheless achieved Whitney Biennial recognition and gallery representation, Allen’s case also raises questions about who gets to speak for American art on the world stage.