Post-medium generation redefines Venice Biennale with fluid practices

The 2026 Venice Biennale features a new generation of artists and curators who reject fixed media, embracing a 'post-medium condition' where concept trumps material. Sung Tieu co-represents Germany with an installation kept under wraps until opening, alongside work by the late Henrike Naumann. Curator Stefanie Hessler, directing the Finnish pavilion, notes unprecedented access to information and production means makes medium specificity less important. Lydia Ourahmane presents a 10.5-metre working pier at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation, intended to be moved to Poveglia island, saved from development by the consortium Poveglia per Tutti. P Staff's retina-searing video on terminal lucidity appears at Fondazione In Between Art Film. Curator Polly Staple describes artists as 'post-studio,' working out of conceptual tradition. Over 90% of artists in the main exhibition are living, according to Artnet data. Artist Rashida Bumbray credits Cecilia Alemani's 2022 edition and Simone Leigh's off-site symposium for expanding who belongs. The late Koyo Kouoh's curatorial vision for 'In Minor Keys' emphasizes art made now. Tieu states artists don't need mainstream institutions to make work, but institutions need artists to survive.