61st Venice Art Biennale to Feature Six Artist-Led Organizations in 'In Minor Keys'
The Venice Art Biennale will take place in 2026, featuring the theme "In Minor Keys." It will showcase work from 105 artists and six collaborative groups at various venues across the city. Pre-opening events are scheduled from May 6 to May 8, culminating in the official inauguration on May 9. Curated by a team including Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo and Rasha Salti, the exhibition will highlight topics like Shrines and Procession and pay homage to Issa Samb and Beverly Buchanan. A new performance initiative will reference Koyo Kouoh's earlier work, with a comprehensive catalogue designed by Wolff Architects. No Golden Lions will be awarded this year.
Key facts
- 61st Venice Art Biennale titled 'In Minor Keys'
- 105 individual artists and six artist-led organizations participate
- Pre-opening days: 6-8 May 2026; inauguration: 9 May 2026
- Exhibition conceived by Koyo Kouoh before her death in May 2025
- Six artist-led 'Schools' integrated: RAW Material Company, G.A.S. Foundation, NCAI, blaxTARLINES KUMASI, lugar a dudas, Denniston Hill
- Conceptual motifs: Shrines, Procession, Rest, Schools
- Central Pavilion Shrine honors Issa Samb and Beverly Buchanan
- Performance includes procession inspired by Kouoh's 1999 Poetry Caravan
- Catalogue includes 8 essays and over 100 authors
- Scenography by Wolff Architects; visual identity by Clarissa Herbst and Alex Sonderegger
- No Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement awarded
Entities
Artists
- Koyo Kouoh
- Issa Samb
- Beverly Buchanan
- Toni Morrison
- Gabriel García Márquez
- Pio Abad
- Philip Aguirre y Otegui
- Akinbode Akinbiyi
- Laurie Anderson
- Fabrice Aragno
- Nancy Brooks Brody
- Joy Episalla
- Zoe Leonard
- Carrie Yamaoka
- Jo-ey Tang
- Kader Attia
- Sammy Baloji
- Ranti Bam
- Alvaro Barrington
- Éric Baudelaire
- Sabian Baumann
- Seyni Awa Camara
- Nick Cave
- Carolina Caycedo
- Annalee Davis
- BuBu de la Madeleine
- Dawn DeDeaux
- Nolan Oswald Dennis
- Bonnie Devine
- Godfried Donkor
- Marcel Duchamp
- Edouard Duval-Carrié
- Torkwase Dyson
- rana elnemr
- Theo Eshetu
- Rachel Fallon
- Alice Maher
- Sofía Gallisá Muriente
- Adebunmi Gbadebo
- Leonilda González
- Linda Goode Bryant
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
- Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka
- Ayrson Heráclito
- Clarissa Herbst
- Dominique Rust
- Nicholas Hlobo
- Carsten Höller
- Sohrab Hura
- Alfredo Jaar
- Mohammed Joha
- Michael Joo
- Nina Katchadourian
- Bodys Isek Kingelez
- Sandra Knecht
- Marcia Kure
- Natalia Lassalle-Morillo
- Gloria Morillo
- Florence Lazar
- Dan Lie
- Werewere Liking
- Daniel Lind-Ramos
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Kamaal Malak
- Senzeni Marasela
- Guadalupe Maravilla
- Manuel Mathieu
- Georgina Maxim
- Tiona Nekkia McClodden
- Big Chief Demond Melancon
- Avi Mograbi
- Wangechi Mutu
- Eustaquio Neves
- Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn
- Tammy Nguyen
- Otobong Nkanga
- Kaloki Nyamai
- Temitayo Ogunbiyi
- Pauline Oliveros
- Kambui Olujimi
- Hagar Ophir
- Uriel Orlow
- Ebony G. Patterson
- Rajni Perera
- Marigold Santos
- Thania Petersen
- Alan Phelan
- Johannes Phokela
- Léonard Pongo
- Gala Porras-Kim
- Walid Raad
- Mohammed Z. Rahman
- Tabita Rezaire
- Guadalupe Rosales
- Yo-E Ryou
- Khaled Sabsabi
- Rose Salane
- Amina Saoudi Aït Khay
- Carrie Schneider
- Hala Schoukair
- Berni Searle
- Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi
- Wardha Shabbir
- Yoshiko Shimada
- Himali Singh Soin
- David Soin Tappeser
- Buhlebezwe Siwani
- Cauleen Smith
- Vera Tamari
- Tsai Ming-liang
- Victoria-Idongesit Udondian
- Celia Vásquez Yui
- Kemang Wa Lehulere
- Kennedy Yanko
- Raed Yassin
- Sawangwongse Yawnghwe
- Billie Zangewa
- Tandazani Dhlakama
- Adrienne Edwards
- Stefanie Hessler
- Miguel A. López
- Hélio Menezes
- Wanda Nanibush
- Oluremi C. Onabanjo
- Françoise Vergès
- Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo
- Marie Hélène Pereira
- Rasha Salti
- Siddhartha Mitter
- Rory Tsapayi
- Alex Sonderegger
- Melvin Edwards
- Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi
- Nnena Kalu
- Wolff Architects
- Tanka Fonta
- Nandipha Mnthambo
- Blacx Starlines KUMASI
- Eustáquio Neves
Institutions
- La Biennale di Venezia
- RAW Material Company
- Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation
- Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI)
- blaxTARLINES KUMASI
- lugar a dudas
- Denniston Hill
- Laboratoire Agit’Art
- Wolff Architects
- Contemporary And (C&)
- Wi Di Mimba Wi Prize
- Turner Prize
- APRIA Journal
- G.A.S. Foundation
- Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- Senegal
- Nigeria
- Kenya
- Ghana
- Colombia
- United States
- Dakar
- Timbuktu
- Mali
- Cape Town
- South Africa
- Morocco
- Zimbabwe
- Egypt
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Brazil
- Equatorial Guinea
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Guinea
- Bahamas
- Cameroon
- Cuba
- Ethiopia
- Haiti
- Uganda
- Tanzania
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
- France
- Benin
- Côte d'Ivoire