Hernan Bas Examines Overtourism in Venice Biennale Exhibition
Hernan Bas is currently presenting 'The Visitors' at Ca' Pesaro for the 61st Venice Biennale. This exhibition features 40 artworks that explore the behaviors of tourists and the challenges of overtourism. Many of these pieces were crafted during his time in Venice and portray tourists in both real and imagined scenarios at famous sites and attractions. Originally from Miami, Bas addresses the impact of tourism on local communities, showcasing his characters—predominantly white males—as either sympathetic, naive, smug, or entitled. His work critiques how modern travel often prioritizes self-documentation over authentic experiences, as seen in 'Alone with Lisa (the Louvre, Paris),' where a boy poses before the Mona Lisa. The exhibition runs from May 7 to August 30, 2026.
Key facts
- Hernan Bas presents 'The Visitors' at Ca' Pesaro during the 61st Venice Biennale.
- The exhibition includes 40 paintings created partly during a residency in Venice.
- Bas explores overtourism, a sentiment reflected in graffiti reading 'Too many tourists' in Venice's Rialto district.
- The artist is a native Miamian familiar with tourism's impact on local communities.
- All characters in the paintings are white males, depicted along a spectrum from sympathetic to entitled.
- The work critiques the performative nature of travel and the impulse to document oneself at landmarks.
- Bas highlights the souvenir industry and the hidden costs of tourism.
- The exhibition runs from 7 May to 30 August 2026 at Ca' Pesaro – International Gallery of Modern Art, Venice Dom Pérignon Galleries.
Entities
Artists
- Hernan Bas
Institutions
- Ca' Pesaro – International Gallery of Modern Art
- Lehmann Maupin
- Perrotin
- Victoria Miro
- Wallpaper
- Venice Biennale
- Dom Pérignon Galleries
- Ca' Pesaro
- Collezione da Tiffany
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Rialto district
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Kyoto
- Japan
- Miami
- United States
- Louvre
- Paris
- France
- Christmas Island
- Little A'Le'Inn
- Area 51
- New Orleans
- Romania