Bahamas Returns to Venice Biennale with Posthumous John Beadle Exhibition

The Bahamas will return to the Venice Biennale in 2026 after a 13-year absence with a posthumous collaboration featuring the late artist John Beadle (died 2024, aged 60) alongside living artist Lavar Munroe. The exhibition, titled 'In Another Man's Yard', is curated by Krista Thompson and commissioned by Amanda Coulson, who runs Tern gallery in Nassau and previously directed the National Gallery of The Bahamas. Beadle originally planned to represent the country at the 56th Biennale in 2015, but the government withdrew support. Coulson initiated the 2026 pavilion via a WhatsApp group in February 2025, with private fundraising. The show will incorporate materials from Beadle's studio, including sails from Haitian migrant sloops, and Munroe will create new works using discarded Junkanoo costumes. Junkanoo, a Bahamian carnival tradition, heavily influences both artists. The pavilion is located at San Trovaso Art Space in Dorsoduro. The Biennale's artistic director Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025, had chosen the theme 'In Minor Keys', which resonates with the Bahamian presentation.