Top 10 Must-See Shows at the 2026 Venice Biennale
The 2026 Venice Biennale offers a rich array of national pavilions, collateral events, and the main exhibition curated by Koyo Kouoh. Highlights include Sandra Knecht's restored beehive house in the Arsenale, a tranquil retreat; Isabel Nolan's 'Dreamshook' in the Irish Pavilion, exploring late medieval humanism and dreams; Chiara Camoni's elegant ceramic figures in the Italian Pavilion; and the Indian Pavilion's 'Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home' with installations by Asim Waqif, Sumakshi Singh, and Ranjani Shettar. Akinbode Akinbiyi's large-format black-and-white photographs hang from the ceiling in the Arsenale. At Fondazione Prada, 'Helter Skelter' pairs Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince in a show curated by Nancy Spector. The Belarus Free Theatre presents 'Official. Unofficial. Belarus.' in a church, featuring a surveillance crucifix and biometric confessionals. Dries Van Noten's new Fondazione opens with 'The Only True Protest Is Beauty' at Palazzo Pisani Moretta, blending art, fashion, and design. Cauleen Smith's 'Wanda Coleman Songbook' video installation pays homage to the poet, while Rose Salane's 'Panorama 94' and 'Mercurial New York' explore urban life in the Bronx.
Key facts
- Sandra Knecht's Bee House is a restored beehive from Entlebuch, 1968-born artist worked as social pedagogue and studied in Ulm and Zurich.
- Isabel Nolan's Dreamshook features a wooden bed with a cage, inspired by Giotto and Sassetta, centered on printer Aldo Manuzio.
- Chiara Camoni's Italian Pavilion show includes works by Marisa Merz and Fausto Melotti, with performances and DJs.
- Indian Pavilion includes Asim Waqif's bamboo construction, Sumakshi Singh's transparent lace structures of her demolished family home, and Ranjani Shettar's hanging ornament.
- Akinbode Akinbiyi, aged 80, presents street photography from African cities on double-sided square panels.
- Helter Skelter at Fondazione Prada pairs Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince, curated by Nancy Spector, featuring monster truck tires, motorcycles, and Mickey Mouse.
- Belarus Free Theatre's Official. Unofficial. Belarus. includes a Surveillance Crucifix made of analog cameras and railway tracks, and biometric confessionals.
- Dries Van Noten's Fondazione at Palazzo Pisani Moretta opened in 2025, with works by Steven Shearer, Christian Lacroix, Comme des Garçons, Ritsue Mishima, Kate MccGwire, and Joseph Arzoumanov.
- Cauleen Smith's Wanda Coleman Songbook is a video installation with seven commissioned composers, featuring Los Angeles imagery.
- Rose Salane's Panorama 94 includes rings from NYC transit lost and found, analyzed by a jeweler, pawnshop, fortune teller, and microbiology lab.
Entities
Artists
- Sandra Knecht
- Isabel Nolan
- Chiara Camoni
- Asim Waqif
- Sumakshi Singh
- Ranjani Shettar
- Akinbode Akinbiyi
- Arthur Jafa
- Richard Prince
- Nancy Spector
- Dries Van Noten
- Steven Shearer
- Christian Lacroix
- Ritsue Mishima
- Kate MccGwire
- Joseph Arzoumanov
- Cauleen Smith
- Wanda Coleman
- Rose Salane
- Marisa Merz
- Fausto Melotti
- Aldo Manuzio
- Giotto
- Sassetta
- Giambattista Tiepolo
- Koyo Kouoh
Institutions
- La Biennale di Venezia
- Irish Pavilion
- Italian Pavilion
- Indian Pavilion
- Fondazione Prada
- Guggenheim
- Belarus Free Theatre
- Fondazione Dries Van Noten
- Palazzo Pisani Moretta
- Comme des Garçons
- McDonald's
- New York City Transit Authority
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Arsenale
- Irish Pavilion
- Italian Pavilion
- Indian Pavilion
- Fondazione Prada
- Palazzo Pisani Moretta
- Canal Grande
- Church of San Giovanni Evangelista
- Bronx
- New York City
- Los Angeles
- Hollywood Hills
- Bern
- Switzerland
- Entlebuch
- Ulm
- Zurich
- Dublin
- Belarus