Alma Allen Breaks Silence on U.S. Pavilion Controversy Ahead of Venice Biennale

Utah-born sculptor Alma Allen, in a rare interview for the podcast Time Sensitive, addressed the backlash over his selection to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The commission, curated by Jeffrey Uslip, has been controversial due to the State Department's requirement that proposals 'reflect and promote American values' while not promoting DEI initiatives, leading higher-profile artists like William Eggleston and Barbara Chase-Riboud to refuse. Allen's former galleries, Mendes Wood and Olney Gleason, dropped him after he accepted; he has since joined Perrotin. Allen described the response as 'a little stressful' but worth the opportunity, noting that as a self-taught artist he is used to feeling like an interloper. His exhibition, 'Call Me the Breeze,' will fill the U.S. pavilion and its courtyard with old and new work. Allen hinted at pieces about surveillance and personal inspirations, including a sculpture of his daughter and works inspired by Pokémon. His sculptures are abstract and biomorphic, influenced by ancient Native American art forms from his upbringing in Utah. Allen previously featured in the 2014 Whitney Biennial and was represented by the now-shuttered Blum & Poe.