Art world figures weigh in on Koyo Kouoh's 2026 Venice Biennale
The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled 'In Minor Keys' and curated by Koyo Kouoh, has drawn extensive commentary from art world figures including Naomi Beckwith, Beatrix Ruf, Diana Campbell Betancourt, Ekow Eshun, Francesco Manacorda, Tai Shani, and Hammad Nasar. Beckwith praised the exhibition's polyphony and focus on post-war African women artists. Ruf noted the harmony and political urgency, highlighting performances in national pavilions. Campbell Betancourt emphasized Kouoh's institution-building approach and the ripple effects of artist relationships. Eshun saw the show as an articulation of Édouard Glissant's 'Tout-Monde,' a world without hierarchy. Manacorda argued the Biennale should be judged as a process of rebuilding, not a traditional exhibition. Shani and Nasar underscored the protests, including a one-day strike on 8 May by ANGA and local unions, the largest in Biennale history, with 27 pavilions closed. The exhibition opens with Refaat Alareer's poem 'If I Must Die' and features works by Walid Raad, Khaled Sabsabi, and Mohammed Joha. National pavilions included Florentina Holzinger's Austrian pavilion, Dana Awartani's Saudi pavilion, and the Holy See's contemplative garden. Collateral exhibitions include 'Darkness Visible' at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires and 'Canicula' by Fondazione Bulgari. The Biennale runs until 22 November.
Key facts
- The 2026 Venice Biennale is titled 'In Minor Keys' and curated by Koyo Kouoh.
- A one-day strike on 8 May 2026, called by ANGA and local unions, was the largest in Biennale history, with 27 pavilions closed.
- The exhibition opens with Refaat Alareer's poem 'If I Must Die'.
- Naomi Beckwith highlighted the focus on post-war African women artists from Werewere Liking to Ranti Bam.
- Beatrix Ruf noted the recurrence of water, fluidity, and ephemerality motifs across pavilions.
- Francesco Manacorda described the Biennale as a process of 'rimarginare' (healing margins).
- Hammad Nasar pointed to works by Fierce Pussy, Zhanna Kadyrova, and Khaled Sabsabi as political statements.
- The Biennale runs until 22 November 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Naomi Beckwith
- Okwui Enwezor
- Noah Davis
- Bisi Silva
- Werewere Liking
- Ranti Bam
- Koyo Kouoh
- Beatrix Ruf
- Diana Campbell Betancourt
- Ekow Eshun
- Francesco Manacorda
- Tai Shani
- Hammad Nasar
- Florentina Holzinger
- Miet Warlop
- Gabrielle Goliath
- Tarek Atoui
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- Sophia Al-Maria
- Alia Farid
- Fadi Kattan
- Sung Tieu
- Lydia Ourahmane
- Paulo Nazareth
- Arthur Jafa
- Richard Prince
- Linda Goode Bryant
- Skarma Sonam Tashi
- Alice Maher
- Big Chief Demond Melancon
- Walid Raad
- Otobong Nkanga
- Kader Attia
- Mohammed Joha
- Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka
- Amar Kanwar
- Dayanita Singh
- Nalini Malani
- Chiara Camoni
- Lawrence Abu Hamdan
- Refaat Alareer
- Khaled Sabsabi
- Sohrab Hura
- Dana Awartani
- Fierce Pussy
- Zhanna Kadyrova
- Wangechi Mutu
- Marcel Duchamp
- Pat Gilmour
- Laurie Anderson
- Sammy Baloji
- Bodys Isek Kingelez
- Alfredo Jaar
- Éric Baudelaire
- Florence Lazar
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
- Tsai Ming-liang
- Bogna Burska
- Daniel Kotowski
- Yto Barrada
- Rosana Paulino
- Ingrid Masondo
- Demond Melancon
- Koyo Kouah
- Catherine Millet
- Oriol Vilanova
- Diane Lima
- Adriana Varejão
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Toni Morrison
- Ebony G. Patterson
- Sabian Baumann
- Karine Mauresière
- Édouard Duval-Carrié
- Zahrah Al Ghamdi
- Claudine Drai
- Johannes Phokela
- Eustáquio Neves
- Carrie Schneider
- Hélène Châtelain
- Chris Marker
- Guadalupe Maravilla
- Kaloki Nyamai
- Carolina Caycedo
- Nick Cave
- Sawangwonse Yawnghwe
- Annalee Davis
- Claude Lévêque
- Léonard Pongo
- Emmanuel Serafini
- Daniel Larrieu
- Ali Cherri
- Nicolas de Staël
- Pieter Brueghel the Elder
Institutions
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
- Hartwig Foundation
- Samdani Art Foundation
- Castello di Rivoli
- Fondazione Prada
- Fondazione Bulgari
- Punta della Dogana
- Palazzo Grassi
- Magazzini
- Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires
- RAW Material Company
- Denniston Hill
- Ibraaz
- ANGA (Art Not Genocide Alliance)
- Underground Museum
- The Art Newspaper
- Venice Biennale
- blaxTARLINES
- South African Pavilion
- Australian Pavilion
- ArtReview
- The Arts Review
- Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
- Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute
- Polish Pavilion
- Zacheta - National Gallery of Art
- Art not Genocide Alliance
- European Commission
- Chiesa di Sant'Antonin
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- Corderie
- Artpress
- La Biennale
- Galerria Continua
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- Austrian Pavilion
- Belgian Pavilion
- Dutch Pavilion
- German Pavilion
- Indian Pavilion
- Uzbek Pavilion
- Holy See Pavilion
- South African Pavilion
- Saudi Pavilion
- Japan Pavilion
- Denmark Pavilion
- Bahamas Pavilion
- Qatar Pavilion
- Poveglia
- Serbia
- Gaza
- Palestine
- Argentina
- Buenos Aires
- Los Angeles
- London
- Cape Town
- South Africa
- Dakar
- Senegal
- Berlin
- Germany
- Nashville
- United States
- Beirut
- Lebanon
- Zambia
- Salvador
- Brazil
- Bamako
- Mali
- Kassel
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Douala
- Cameroon
- Louisiana
- New Orleans
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Iran
- Israel
- France
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- Switzerland
- Korea
- Denmark
- Spain
- Finland
- Hungary
- Romania
- Greece
- Poland
- Austria
- Uruguay
- Cuba
- Jamaica
- Haiti
- Saudi Arabia
- Kenya
- Colombia
- Myanmar
- Barbados
- Chile
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Algeria
- Canada