Open letter to Biennale president decries absence of Italian artists in 2026 edition

An open letter from Spazio Taverna founders Marco Bassan and Ludovico Pratesi addresses the president of the Biennale di Venezia regarding the complete absence of Italian artists among the 111 invited by curator Koyo Kouoh for the 2026 Biennale Arte. The letter, published on Artribune, notes that this is unprecedented in the institution's history since 1895. It argues that the Italian state allocates 18 million euros of public funds per edition (as of 2022) to the Biennale, which is mandated to promote contemporary art nationally and internationally. The authors contend that excluding Italian artists while using taxpayer money is paradoxical and reflects a thirty-year trend of diminishing Italian representation. They propose that within three months of appointment, foreign directors should undertake a study tour of top Italian artists, selected by a committee of Italian curators appointed by the Biennale, to ensure informed inclusion. The letter frames the absence as a systemic failure of Italian institutions that neglect their own contemporary art scene.