DDR's Long Road to the Venice Biennale: A History of Exclusion and the 2026 German Pavilion

The German Democratic Republic (GDR) participated in the Venice Biennale from 1982 to 1990 but was never allowed to use the German Pavilion, which remained under West German control. Instead, the GDR exhibited in the Venetian Pavilion or the Arsenale. This history is now being revisited in the 2026 German Pavilion, curated by Kathleen Reinhardt and featuring artists Henrike Naumann and Sung Tieu. Naumann's research uncovered documents showing that as early as 1956, the GDR proposed a joint exhibition or its own pavilion, but was denied. The GDR's five presentations were often marked by limited space and political tensions. In 1986, sculptor Sabina Grzimek represented the GDR but had her exhibition space reduced. The 1990 presentation, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, was the last GDR contribution. The current pavilion, titled "Ruin," incorporates elements of GDR history, including a graffiti-inspired design and references to East German art and architecture. Naumann's work includes a relief frame inspired by Erzgebirge dioramas and a replica of a socialist mural by her grandfather, Karl Heinz Jakob. Sung Tieu's installation addresses the history of Vietnamese contract workers in the GDR. The pavilion marks the first time three women with East German biographies have collaborated on the German Pavilion.