Cecilia Canziani on Curating Chiara Camoni's Italian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale
In an interview with Artribune, curator Cecilia Canziani discusses the Italian Pavilion for the 61st Venice Biennale (2026), featuring artist Chiara Camoni's project 'Con te con tutto' (With You with Everything). The pavilion, promoted by the Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea of the Italian Ministry of Culture, emphasizes relational and communal practices over national representation. Canziani and Camoni have collaborated for over fifteen years, producing books, workshops, and projects like 'La Giusta Misura'. The pavilion is conceived as an ecosystem of works, texts, activations, and dialogues, with a catalogue designed as a reader. Canziani addresses the anachronistic nature of national pavilions, the geopolitical tensions surrounding the Biennale (including the suspension of the Russia Pavilion and debates over Israel's participation), and the marginalization of Italian artists in the international exhibition. She advocates for pavilions as spaces of critical interrogation rather than identity representation. The project includes contributions from Annalisa Metta, Francesco Ventrella, Esther Kinski, and Laura Tripaldi, and is supported by Zegna and Ifis. Canziani teaches at the Accademia di Belle Arti and emphasizes the importance of research and teaching in curatorial practice.
Key facts
- The 61st Venice Biennale opens in 2026 amid political tensions and institutional suspensions.
- Chiara Camoni's project 'Con te con tutto' is curated by Cecilia Canziani for the Italian Pavilion.
- The pavilion is promoted by the Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
- Canziani and Camoni have collaborated for over fifteen years.
- The pavilion emphasizes relational and communal practices over national representation.
- The catalogue is conceived as a reader with essays by Annalisa Metta, Francesco Ventrella, Esther Kinski, and Laura Tripaldi.
- Supporters include Zegna and Ifis.
- Canziani teaches at the Accademia di Belle Arti and is part of the Dottorato di Interesse Nazionale dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli.
Entities
Artists
- Chiara Camoni
- Theo Eshetu
- Paola Aringes
- Silvia Perotti
- Chiara Frugoni
- Francesco Ventrella
- Matteo Zauli
- Annalisa Metta
- Esther Kinski
- Laura Tripaldi
- Cecilia Canziani
- Annamaria Ajmone
- Alice Rohrwacher
- Koyo Kouoh
- Pietrangelo Buttafuoco
- Alessandro Giuli
- Angelo Piero Cappello
- Fiammetta Griccioli
- Lucia Aspesi
- Angelika Burtscher
- Daniele Lupo
- Valentino Catricalà
- Formafantasma
- Marta Papini
- Guglielmo Castelli
- Giulia Cenci
- Fausto Melotti
- Marisa Merz
- Medardo Rosso
- Alberto Martini
- Luciano Fabro
- Felice Casorati
- Silvia Federici
Institutions
- Artribune
- Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea
- Ministero della Cultura
- Nomas Foundation
- NERO
- MAD (Le Murate)
- Zegna
- ZegnArt
- Oasi Zegna
- Ifis
- Accademia di Belle Arti
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli
- Les Cerises
- IUNO
- Biennale di Venezia
- Padiglione Italia
- Padiglione Russia
- Padiglione Israele
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- Fondazione Biennale di Venezia
- La Repubblica
- Scuola Nazionale Patrimonio Attività Culturali
- Anfass
- Fondazione Amplifon
- Lungomare
- Italian Ministry of Culture
- Italy Pavilion
- La Biennale di Venezia
- Pirelli HangarBicocca
- Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Torino
- ZEGNA
- Banca Ifis
- Collezione da Tiffany
- Ministero della Cultura (Italian Ministry of Culture)
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma
- NERO Editions
- RAW Material Company
Locations
- Venezia
- Italy
- Pistoia
- Napoli
- Italia
- Rome
- Venice
- Arsenale
- Tese delle Vergini
- Piacenza
- Switzerland
- Cameroon
- Alpi Apuane
- Milan
- Turin
- Venezia (Venice), Italy
- Roma (Rome), Italy
- Dakar, Senegal