2026 Venice Biennale Defies Gloomy Omens with Joyful, Craft-Focused Edition

The 2026 Venice Art Biennale, titled 'In Minor Keys' and curated posthumously by Koyo Kouoh, opened despite a series of misfortunes including the curator's death early in preparations, the loss of several key artists, and political controversies. Contrary to expectations of a somber show, the exhibition is described as joyful, colorful, and carnivalesque, successfully addressing themes of post-colonialism, African diaspora, monumentality, feminism, and Black self-representation without being punitive or documentary. The review highlights eight key aspects: a focus on the non-human (plants, minerals), a celebration of artisanal craftsmanship, a choral quality where works converse across nationalities, a disregard for artists' national origins, sensory elements like scents and seating for relaxation, the exhibition design by South African architects Wolff (using blue and honeycomb cardboard), a notable absence of AI-related art, and an overall balance that avoids radicalism while tackling heavy subjects like slavery, climate crisis, and migration. The Central Pavilion's renovation with PNRR funds is praised. The review concludes that the Biennale tells oppression without being oppressive, exemplified by a 2019 painting of Lampedusa's sea tragedies hung high in the Central Pavilion.