Venice's Galeazze Spaces Open for First Time with Faustin Linyekula Performance

For the first time, the Galeazze—historic shipbuilding halls in Venice's Arsenale Nord—open to the public during the 2026 Art Biennale. On May 5 and 6, 2026, artist and choreographer Faustin Linyekula (born Zaire, 1974) presents 'The Galeazze Project,' a site-specific performance created with musician Heru Shabaka-Ra. The work uses the monumental, water-adjacent spaces not as a stage but as an integral part of the performance, involving local performers and musicians. The project is conceived by Cosimo Ferrigolo and Dirk Bell, curated by Edoardo Lazzari, and features scaffolding, platforms, and an irregular lighting system that alternately highlights or obscures bodies. The audience moves freely, redefining the relationship between bodies and space. The performance is presented by Scuola Piccola Zattere and Studios Kabako, with participation of Cosmogram, as part of a broader restoration and valorization initiative by the International Private Committees for the Safeguarding of Venice. Irene Calderoni, director of Scuola Piccola Zattere, notes the institution's focus on exploring how a body can rewrite spatial rules and open new possibilities for fruition and meaning.