Theo Eshetu: The Only Italian Artist at the 2026 Venice Biennale

Theo Eshetu (London, 1958) is the sole Italian artist invited to 'In Minor Keys', the central exhibition of the 61st Venice Biennale curated by Koyo Kouoh. Born to an Ethiopian father and Dutch mother, the video artist trained in the Netherlands and London before settling in Rome in the early 1980s. His grandfather, a prominent Ethiopian diplomat and historian, gave him his first camera. In an interview, Eshetu discusses his cosmopolitan background, his artistic practice, and his Biennale work: a tree on a rotating platform, addressing absence and the disappearance of Kouoh. He reflects on the Italian art scene of the 1980s and 1990s, his friendship with critic Adriano Aprà, and his move between Rome and Berlin. The exhibition runs until November 22, 2026, at the Giardini and Arsenale.