Florentina Holzinger's Naked Bell-Ringing Pavilion Shocks Venice Biennale
At the 2026 Venice Biennale, Austrian artist Florentina Holzinger presented a postapocalyptic pavilion featuring naked performers suspended from bells, a woman riding a speedboat in circles, and a submerged performer in a tank fed by purified urine from audience toilets. The performance was so transgressive that police officers arrived to investigate. The pavilion quickly became the talk of the town.
Key facts
- Florentina Holzinger is known for extreme performances.
- The pavilion is postapocalyptic and located at the Austrian Pavilion, Giardini della Biennale.
- The performance opened with Holzinger suspended upside down from bell clappers.
- Inside, a woman rode a speedboat in circles, two performers were suspended at the top of a pole, and another sat submerged in a tank.
- Viewers were invited to use two toilets to purify their urine for the tank.
- A sewage-like disaster in another section suggested the project went awry.
- Four police officers came to ask what was happening.
- The performance was immediately the talk of the town.
Entities
Artists
- Florentina Holzinger
Institutions
- Austrian Pavilion
- Giardini della Biennale
Locations
- Venice
- Italy