Alma Allen's US Pavilion at Venice Biennale Criticized as Bland and Empty

Alma Allen's exhibition 'Call Me the Breeze' at the United States Pavilion of the 2026 Venice Biennale has been panned as inoffensive and devoid of meaning. Curated by Jeffrey Uslip, who resigned in 2016 amid accusations of racial insensitivity, the show features untitled amorphous sculptures in bronze, wood, and stone, including Colorado Yule marble used in the Lincoln Memorial. The selection process was controversial: after the Trump administration excluded the National Endowment for the Arts, the US State Department initially picked curator John Ravenal and artist Robert Lazzarini, but Lazzarini's proposal was dropped. The American Arts Conservancy, a new nonprofit led by Jenni Parido (a Floridian from the Mar-a-Lago orbit who previously ran a pet food store), then took over. Parido hired Uslip, who approached Barbara Chase-Riboud and William Eggleston—both declined—before landing on Allen, a Utah-born sculptor based in Mexico. Donors include former US Navy Secretary John Phelan and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. The pavilion runs through November 22 at Giardini della Biennale.