Venice Biennale 2026: Green Travel, Ecological Art, and Greenwashing Critiques

The 61st Venice Biennale, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh under the title 'In Minor Keys', foregrounded environmental concerns. Kouoh's exhibition emphasized 'all earthly elements' with works like Otobong Nkanga's rewilding of the Central Pavilion facade, Célia Vasquez Yui's forest creatures from Amazonian soil, Theo Eshetu's olive tree installation, Uriel Orlow's photographs of near-extinct plants, Linda Goode Bryant's mini farm growing Venetian vegetables, Annalee Davis's multimedia piece on Caribbean plantation legacies, and Alfredo Jaar's 'The End of the World' installation featuring crushed critical minerals. The island of San Giacomo, purchased by Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and Agostino Re Rebaudengo in 2018, opened as a self-sufficient 'laboratory for art and sustainability' with renewable energy and circular economy principles. National pavilions also addressed climate issues: the Austrian pavilion by Florentina Holzinger became 'Seaworld Venice', a water amusement park and sewage treatment plant; the Vatican's Pavilion of the Holy See offered a 'sonic prayer' in a historic garden with commissions by Patti Smith, FKA Twigs, Meredith Monk, and Brian Eno. However, greenwashing was noted, such as the Brazilian pavilion sponsored by Petrobras. The author traveled by train from London to Venice, highlighting the environmental benefits and costs of slow travel.