Japan Foundation partners with three museums for Ei Arakawa-Nash's 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion

Ei Arakawa-Nash is set to design the Japan Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale, showcasing a project named Grass Babies, Moon Babies, which will be co-curated by Lisa Horikawa and Mizuki Takahashi. Visitors will engage with baby dolls and caregiving tasks, activating QR codes that produce poems tied to specific birthdays, linking the artist's personal narrative to larger historical influences on Japanese and diasporic communities. The pavilion will collaborate with three museums: The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles will host a preview performance called 24 HOUR CARE (2026) by the Asian American collective FAC XTRA RETREAT on March 15, featuring seven artists including Arakawa-Nash. Additionally, the Isamu Noguchi Foundation in New York will showcase works by Isamu Noguchi, and Kestner Gesellschaft in Hanover will adapt Grass Babies, Moon Babies for its audience in December. The Japan Foundation will also partner with the Korean Pavilion, with details to be announced on March 24 in Hong Kong. Ashley Cheung is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.