Somalia’s 2026 Venice Biennale Pavilion Features Ayan Farah, Asmaa Jama, and Warsan Shire

Somalia will be represented at the 61st Venice Biennale by artists Ayan Farah, Asmaa Jama, and poet Warsan Shire, with the pavilion located in Palazzo Caboto. The Biennale runs from 9 May to 22 November 2026 under the theme "In Minor Keys." Farah plans to exhibit an installation of large-scale embroidered landscape paintings using clay pigment sourced from Somalia and shell pigment from Scotland, alongside silk paintings. Jama will focus on the Somali poetry form saddexleey, presenting moving image, installation, and visual works. Both artists cite the poet Hadraawi as a major influence, and Jama also mentions filmmaker Abdulkadir Said and poet Ladan Osman. The pavilion is part of a series of questionnaires published by ArtReview in partnership with Versace. Farah and Jama discuss the importance of the Biennale for visibility, the role of national pavilions in expressing commonality, and the impact of Somalia's civil war on cultural memory. Farah emphasizes the residual traces in her work, while Jama draws on magical realism and cinematic surrealism.