Abbas Akhavan selected for Canada Pavilion at 2026 Venice Biennale

Abbas Akhavan will represent Canada at the 61st Venice Biennale, scheduled from April to November 2026. The National Gallery of Canada's Director & CEO Jean-François Bélisle serves as commissioner for the Canada Pavilion. A selection committee including Julie Crooks, Léuli Eshrāghi, Crystal Mowry, Daina Warren, Pan Wendt, and Bélisle chose Akhavan for his site-responsive practice. The Iranian-born artist works across temporary installation, video, drawing, sculpture, and performance to explore public-private dichotomies, geopolitics, and historical influences on space. Based between Montreal and Berlin, Akhavan has exhibited internationally and won the Sobey Art Award in 2015. His mid-career retrospective is planned for 2026 at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Bélisle described the Biennale as a vital global forum for dialogue through art, emphasizing the National Gallery's role in showcasing Canadian talent worldwide. The institution aims to facilitate connections across the art world while supporting Akhavan's vision for the pavilion, which engages with specific site architectures, economies, and communities.