Collateral Events to Watch at the 61st Venice Biennale
The 61st Venice Biennale showcases a variety of collateral events across historic sites. At Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù, 'The Spirits of Maritime Crossing 2026' runs from May 9 to August 2, featuring 20 artists, including Marina Abramović's notable work 'Sea Punishing' (2006). Celebrating Lee Ufan's 90th birthday, the Dia Art Foundation presents 'Lee Ufan' at San Marco Art Centre from May 9 to November 22. 'TURANDOT: To the Daughters of the East' at ACP Palazzo Franchetti (May 9–October 31) highlights 11 female artists. Other exhibitions include Li Yi-Fan's 'Screen Melancholy' and Nalini Malani's 'Of Woman Born,' both at different venues until November 22. 'A Necessary Fiction' and 'Instruments of the Mind' are also part of the lineup, along with 'Canicula' and 'Amar Kanwar: Co-travellers,' which runs until January 10, 2027.
Key facts
- 61st Venice Biennale collateral events run from May to November 2026.
- Marina Abramović's 'Sea Punishing' (2006) is a collective performance remembering the 2004 Andaman Sea tsunami.
- Lee Ufan's exhibition marks his 90th birthday and includes a concurrent show at Dia Beacon.
- Lee Ufan is associated with Mono-ha and Dansaekhwa movements.
- 'TURANDOT' features 11 female artists from Central Asia, including Mona Hatoum and Tala Madani.
- Li Yi-Fan's 'Screen Melancholy' uses a 60-minute animated film set in a simulated Palazzo delle Prigioni.
- Nalini Malani's 'Of Woman Born' includes 67 animations from over 30,000 iPad images across nine channels.
- 'Canicula' is the third installment of Fondazione In Between Art Film's 'Trilogy of Uncertainties.'
Entities
Artists
- Marina Abramović
- Lee Ufan
- Lida Abdul
- Hera Büyüktaşcıyan
- Daria Kim
- Tala Madani
- Afruz Amighi
- Saodat Ismailova
- Nazira Karimi
- Huma Bhabha
- Mona Hatoum
- Farideh Lashai
- Madina Joldybek
- Li Yi-Fan
- Nalini Malani
- Vyacheslav Akhunov
- Amar Kanwar
- Ko Than Htay
Institutions
- Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation
- Dia Art Foundation
- Dia Beacon
- Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art
- Taipei Fine Arts Museum
- Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
- Ministry of Culture, Saudi Arabia
- Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent
- Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
- Fondazione In Between Art Film
- Pinault Collection
- Palazzo Grassi
- Marian Goodman Gallery
- Pace Gallery
- Jessica Silverman
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù
- San Marco Art Centre
- ACP Palazzo Franchetti
- Palazzo delle Prigioni
- Magazzini del Sale
- Abbazia di San Gregorio
- Palazzo Franchetti
- Complesso dell'Ospedaletto
- Palazzo Grassi
- Bangkok
- Thailand
- New York
- United States
- Tashkent
- Uzbekistan
- Rome
- Myanmar
- Mandalay