Dries Verhoeven to Transform Dutch Pavilion into Bunker for Venice Biennale
Artist Dries Verhoeven will represent the Netherlands at the 61st Venice Biennale with a new work titled The Fortress, installed in the Rietveld Pavilion in the Giardini. The 25-minute performance piece transforms the sunlit modernist pavilion into a darkened bunker, featuring a raw vocal composition using only false vocal cords. Verhoeven describes the work as a rite of passage about transition and self-preservation, addressing Western society caught between its enlightened self-image and a dark vision of the future. He aims to make geopolitical unrest visible, contrasting with the Biennale's main exhibition theme In Minor Keys. The piece is performed Wednesday to Sunday. Verhoeven cites Hieronymus Bosch as the most important Dutch artist. The Biennale runs from 9 May through 22 November 2026.
Key facts
- Dries Verhoeven represents the Netherlands at the 61st Venice Biennale.
- His work The Fortress is installed in the Rietveld Pavilion in the Giardini.
- The 25-minute performance transforms the pavilion into a darkened bunker.
- The vocal composition uses only false vocal cords, described as 'rubbing sandpaper through your ears'.
- Verhoeven cites Hieronymus Bosch as the most important Dutch artist.
- The Biennale runs 9 May through 22 November 2026.
- The project is part of a series by ArtReview and Versace.
- Verhoeven mentions the Netherlands supplies service dogs to the Israeli army and hosts the International Court of Justice.
Entities
Artists
- Dries Verhoeven
- Hieronymus Bosch
Institutions
- ArtReview
- Versace
- International Court of Justice
Locations
- Netherlands
- Venice
- Giardini
- Amsterdam
- Israeli army