SMAC Venice and The Human Safety Net Open New Cultural Hub for 2026 Biennale
A new cultural hub has launched in Venice's Procuratie Vecchie, uniting SMAC Venice (San Marco Art Centre) and The Human Safety Net. The space, restored by David Chipperfield, features a major retrospective of Alighiero Boetti curated by Elena Geuna and supported by Ben Brown Fine Arts, with around eighty works spanning from Arte Povera to his Mappe and Ricami. Concurrently, Dia Art Foundation presents a Lee Ufan survey curated by Jessica Morgan, covering six decades and including a new site-specific commission, Relatum – Infinity. On the third floor, The Human Safety Net hosts We Rise by Lifting Others by Marinella Senatore, a co-created project with families in Warsaw, Mestre, and Palermo, featuring a four-meter luminous sculpture and six tapestries from the Chanakya School of Craft in Mumbai. The hub aims to offer an informal space for engaging with modern and contemporary art during the 61st Venice Biennale.
Key facts
- SMAC Venice and The Human Safety Net open in the Procuratie Vecchie, Venice.
- The restoration was led by David Chipperfield.
- Alighiero Boetti retrospective curated by Elena Geuna, supported by Ben Brown Fine Arts, features about 80 works.
- Lee Ufan survey curated by Jessica Morgan for Dia Art Foundation spans six decades.
- Lee Ufan's new commission Relatum – Infinity is a site-specific sculpture of steel and stones.
- Marinella Senatore's We Rise by Lifting Others includes a four-meter luminous structure and six tapestries from Chanakya School of Craft.
- The project involved co-creation with families in Warsaw, Mestre, and Palermo.
- The hub launches during the 61st Venice Biennale opening days.
Entities
Artists
- Alighiero Boetti
- Lee Ufan
- Marinella Senatore
Institutions
- SMAC Venice
- The Human Safety Net
- Procuratie Vecchie
- Ben Brown Fine Arts
- Dia Art Foundation
- Chanakya School of Craft
- Generali
Locations
- Venice
- San Marco
- Warsaw
- Mestre
- Palermo
- Mumbai