Venice Biennale Pavilions Tackle Shame Through Queer and Scatological Lenses

Two national pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale explore shame from distinct angles. The Scottish pavilion features Bugarin + Castle's 'Shame Parade,' which examines historic charivari rituals and their contemporary resonance for transgender communities. The duo, Davide Bugarin and Angel Cohn Castle, link Filipino and Scottish colonial histories through a central jeepney-inspired sculpture and a five-screen video installation. Their work responds to a 'regressive and hostile environment' for trans people in the UK and US, using wordplay and queer terminology to complicate notions of shame. Meanwhile, Aline Bouvy's 'La Merde' at the Luxembourg pavilion addresses the universality of shame around defecation. Her installation includes a semi-circular mirror structure with acoustic padding, creating a communal listening space. Bouvy connects scatological stigma to broader issues of waste treatment and circularity, informed by Hundertwasser's 'The Sacred Shit' manifesto and discussions with a Belgian dry-toilet advocate. Both projects seek to reframe shame as a complex, productive force rather than a simple negative.