Italian artist Angelo Orazio Pregoni presents Ujamaa Express at Tanzania Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2026

Italian perfumer, writer, and artist Angelo Orazio Pregoni (Genoa, 1970) presents 'Ujamaa Express' at the Tanzania Pavilion of the 61st Venice Biennale, curated by Lorna Benedict Mashiba and Martina Cavallarin. The project includes textured oil paintings and a series of perfumes called O'TOTEMAN PERFUME, exploring cultural memory and identity. Paintings pair Western icons (Van Gogh, Mozart, Maria Callas, Elvis Presley) with Tanzanian historical figures (Julius Nyerere, Bi Kidude, Siti Binti Saad, Said Mohamed Cheikh). Pregoni emphasizes that he does not seek mimesis of Swahili culture but a frontal friction, maintaining visible differences. The perfumes are designed as 3D-printed sculptural objects with unusual notes, avoiding technological automation. The exhibition 'Minor Frequencies: The Inner Life Of A Nation' runs until November 22, 2026, at Gervasuti Foundation / Supernova, Cannaregio 3218/A, Venice. Pregoni criticizes automatic provocation in contemporary art and defends painting as an open, polyvalent language. He views AI as potentially emancipatory but warns against abandoning personal thought and bodily experience.