International Jury Announced for 2026 Venice Biennale's 61st Edition
The Board of Directors for the Venice Biennale has selected the International Jury for the upcoming 61st International Art Exhibition, titled 'In Minor Keys,' which Koyo Kouoh is curating. The jury, headed by president Solange Oliveira Farkas, comprises Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. They will present official awards on May 9, 2026, during the exhibition, which is scheduled from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the Giardini and Arsenale venues. Farkas boasts over 40 years of curatorial expertise, while Butt established the 'in-tangible institute' in 2022. Dyangani Ose serves as the artistic director for the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial 2026-2027. Kuzma was Yale School of Art's first female dean, and Zapperi focuses on feminist art history. The jury will grant multiple awards, including the Golden Lion and Silver Lion.
Key facts
- The 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale is titled 'In Minor Keys' and curated by Koyo Kouoh.
- The exhibition runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the Giardini and Arsenale in Venice.
- The International Jury for the 2026 Biennale Arte is composed of five members: Solange Oliveira Farkas (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi.
- The jury will award a Golden Lion for best National Participation, a Golden Lion for best participant in the International Exhibition, and a Silver Lion for a promising young participant.
- The award ceremony will be held in Venice on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
- Solange Oliveira Farkas founded and is artistic director of Associação Cultural Videobrasil and led the Videobrasil Biennial from 1983 to 2024.
- Zoe Butt founded 'in-tangible institute' in 2022 and was appointed artistic director of 'deCentral' in 2025, set to open in Thailand in 2027.
- Elvira Dyangani Ose is artistic director of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial 2026-2027 and was director of MACBA in Barcelona from 2021 to 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Isaac Julien
- Joseph Beuys
- Sophie Calle
- Coco Fusco
- Goshka Macuga
- Edvard Munch
- Lene Berg
- Marcel Duchamp
- Carla Lonzi
- Delphine Seyrig
- Paul Celan
Institutions
- Biennale di Venezia
- Associação Cultural Videobrasil
- Videobrasil Biennial
- Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia
- in-tangible institute
- deCentral
- Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial
- MACBA
- The Showroom
- Gothenburg International Biennial for Contemporary Art
- Creative Time
- Tate Modern
- Yale School of Art
- University of Geneva
- Faktura 10
- Ribbon International
- Documenta 13
- Manifesta 5
- Royal Institute of Art
- Office for Contemporary Art (OCA) Norway
- Soros Center for Contemporary Art
- University Iuav di Venezia
- Factory Contemporary Arts Centre
- Sàn Art
- Long March Project
- Queensland Art Gallery
- Centre for Research and Education in Art and Media, University of Westminster
- Sharjah Biennial
- FUSO
- Dak'Art
- Jakarta International Video Festival
- GES-2
- Ilmin Museum of Art
- Mostra Pan-Africana di Arte Contemporanea
- MAM-BA
- Nam June Paik Prize
- Rencontres de Bamako – The African Biennial of Photography
- EYE Art & Film Prize
- International Biennial Association
- AWARE
- Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy
- Barnard College
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Cornell University
- Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
- Goldsmiths College
- Fondazione Prada
- CIMAM – International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art
- Museo Reina Sofia
- Accademia di Francia a Villa Medici
- Bibliotheca Hertziana, Istituto Max Planck
- Padiglione dei Paesi Nordici
Locations
- Venezia
- Italy
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- Thailandia
- Thailand
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- Barcellona
- Spain
- Londra
- United Kingdom
- Gothenburg
- Sweden
- New York
- United States
- Ucraina
- Ukraine
- San Sebastian
- Stoccolma
- Norvegia
- Norway
- Kyiv
- Portogallo
- Portugal
- Senegal
- Indonesia
- Sharjah
- Mosca
- Russia
- Corea del Sud
- South Korea
- Brasile
- Brazil
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam
- Pechino
- China
- Brisbane
- Australia
- Chiang Mai
- Paris
- France
- Roma
- Ginevra
- Switzerland