Joseph Kosuth’s Venice Show Questions Language’s Value in AI Era

Conceptual art pioneer Joseph Kosuth (b. 1945, Toledo, Ohio) presents 'The Exchange Value of Language Has Fallen to Zero' at Casa dei Tre Oci in Venice, running until November 22, 2026. The exhibition confronts the devaluation of language in the age of AI and superficial human usage, yet carries an optimistic message. A new neon work, 'The Chain of Resemblance,' pays homage to Michel Foucault’s 'The Order of Things.' The show spans Kosuth’s career, from 1960s pieces like 'One and Three Mirrors' (1965) to works questioning authorship and community, including 'The Fifth Investigation' (1969), 'Text/Context' (1978/1979), and 'Where Are You Standing?' (1976), a poster originally created for the 1976 Venice Biennale as part of the International Local collective, now reproduced and offered to the public. During the exhibition, 'The Seventh Investigation' (1970) will be installed in a public space in Venice. Kosuth lived and worked in Venice from 2021 to 2025 and has participated in eight editions of the Venice Biennale, representing Hungary’s pavilion in 1993 (Honorable Mention). Two permanent installations remain in the city: 'The Material of Ornament' (1997) at Fondazione Querini Stampalia and 'To Invent Relations (For Carlo Scarpa)' (2016) at Università Ca’ Foscari’s Aula Magna Mario Baratto.