Anticolonial Perspectives at the 2026 Venice Biennale: A Conference on Peripheral Voices
The event titled 'Anticolonialismo, prospettive periferiche. In margine alla Biennale 2026' endorsed Koyo Kouoh's vision 'In Minor Keys' for the upcoming 2026 Venice Biennale. It showcased a variety of printed works, videos, and historical items, all aimed at promoting an anticolonial and antimilitarist perspective. The subtitle 'Italiani brava gente?' highlighted Italy's complex involvement in colonialism. Taking place in the national pavilion of Equatorial Guinea, which was making its Biennale debut, it drew connections to Elisa Franzoi's performance at Macao, which critiqued Italy's colonial history and the presence of fascist symbols in public spaces. Organized by Escuela Moderna Ateneo Libertario del Raval, it featured contributions from Nicoletta Braga, Zhenru Liang, and Francesco Apuzzo of Raumlaborberlin, focusing on colonial legacies and the need to reevaluate fascist monuments.
Key facts
- Conference titled 'Anticolonialismo, prospettive periferiche. In margine alla Biennale 2026' held in Equatorial Guinea pavilion at Venice Biennale.
- Koyo Kouoh is the curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale with theme 'In Minor Keys'.
- Equatorial Guinea participates in the Venice Biennale for the first time.
- Subtitle 'Italiani brava gente?' references a performance by Elisa Franzoi at Macao in Milan.
- Ivan Grubanov's 'UNITED DEAD NATIONS' (2015) shown at Serbian pavilion.
- Escuela Moderna Ateneo Libertario del Raval organized the conference.
- Raumlaborberlin (Nicoletta Braga, Zhenru Liang, Francesco Apuzzo) won Golden Lion for Architecture.
- Conference critiqued fascist toponymy in Italy, citing Piazza dei Cinquecento, Foro Italico obelisk, and streets named after race manifesto signatories.
- Carl Schmitt's concept of 'internal enemy' discussed in relation to necropolitics.
- Event included testimonies on European colonialism in China, Ukraine-Russia front, Gaza, Caracas, and Carthage.
Entities
Artists
- Koyo Kouoh
- Elisa Franzoi
- Ivan Grubanov
- Jasper Johns
- Mario Ceroli
- Andy Warhol
- Santiago Sierra
- Laura Cazzaniga
- Mark Napier
- Alighiero Boetti
- Claude Laveque
- Sam Durant
- Salvatore Vendittelli
- Saburo Teshigawara
- Ferruccio Brugnaro
- Sandro Sardella
- Paola Brolati
- David Liver
- Vicente Todolí
- Arnold Holzknecht
- Michele Bernardi
- Hannah Arendt
- Angiolo Mazzoni
- Lina Bo Bardi
- Gastone Novelli
- Davide Boriani
- Gio Ponti
- Lucio Fontana
- Tomas Maldonado
- Carmelo Arden Quin
- Gyula Kosice
- José Oiticica
- Hélio Oiticica
- Simón Bolívar
- Simón Rodríguez
- Milton Santos
- Oswald de Andrade
- Tarsila do Amaral
- Aimé Césaire
- Léopold Sédar Senghor
- Léon-Gontran Damas
- Édouard Glissant
- Frantz Fanon
- Franco Berardi
- Ruth Ben-Ghiat
- Laura Boldrini
- Marco Ferreri
Institutions
- Venice Biennale
- Equatorial Guinea Pavilion
- Macao (Milan)
- eXplOit
- Escuela Moderna Ateneo Libertario del Raval
- Raumlaborberlin
- Serbian Pavilion (2015)
- M.S.I. (Movimento Sociale Italiano)
- La difesa della razza (magazine)
- L'Etudiant noir (magazine)
- New Yorker
- Report (TV program)
- Bordeaux (publisher)
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Milan
- Rome
- Piazza dei Cinquecento
- Foro Italico
- Colosseo Quadrato
- Porta Pia
- Bolzano
- Bari
- Salerno
- Sestri Levante
- Fertilia
- Sabaudia
- Siena
- Naples
- Catalunya
- Spain
- Equatorial Guinea
- Africa
- China
- Tientsin (Tianjin)
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Gaza
- Caracas
- Venezuela
- Carthage
- Tunisia
- Colombia
- Brazil
- Martinique
- Senegal
- French Guiana
- Algeria
- Congo
- Palestine
- Rojava
- United States
- Germany
- France
- Portugal
- Greece
Sources
- Artslife —