South Asian Futurism at Venice Biennale: Hylozoic/Desires Proposes Slowing Down

At the Venice Biennale 2026, RMZ Foundation presented Hylozoic/Desires, a collaborative platform by artist-writer Himali Singh Soin and percussionist-composer David Soin Tappeser. The project, hosted at Hotel Metropole, reimagines futurism not as speed but as deep engagement with past materials, techniques, and temporalities. Works like Subcontinentment blend Arctic and Antarctic soundscapes with lockdown Delhi recordings, while Mountain, pixelated in the water translates sound waves into ikat textiles. Curator Lucia Pietroiusti described the installation as 'a space of rest and listening within the weave of complexity.' RMZ Foundation chair Anu Menda emphasized commissioning art that enters urban infrastructure as cultural layer, countering economic acceleration. The project embodies South Asian Futurism as a request for permanence rather than inevitable acceleration.