Venice Biennale 2026
Breaking news, analysis, interviews and more from the world-famous exhibition, including The Art Newsaper’s on-the-ground coverage
Latest
‘Exclusion can only satisfy the ego’: Venice Biennale president hits out at critics amid Russia and Israel controversy
At a conference on 6 May, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco said that calls to ban countries from the Biennale would go against its mission to be ‘the place where the world comes together’
Major protests take place at Venice Biennale previews
More than 200 people attended a protest outside the Israeli pavilion, while the activists groups Pussy Riot and FEMEN led a demonstration at Russia’s
S&M-inspired Greek Pavilion in Venice confronts its fascist chains
Andreas Angelidakis's Biennale exhibition honours the murdered drag artist Zak Kostopoulos, while confronting the pavilion's fraught history
New Zealand's Venice Biennale pavilion explores the secret life of birds
Fiona Pardington is showing her towering portraits of the country's endangered and extinct bird life
Cultural workers at Venice Biennale to strike over Israel’s participation
A rally is also planned to take place in the city on the same day, 8 May
Diary
How sweet it is: chocolate Russell Crowe at the Malta Pavilion
A chocolate gladiator features in Valletta-based artist Charlie Cauchi's film and accompanying installation in the Arsenale
Nature is healing? Seagull lays eggs in the Giardini during Venice Biennale preview
The new mother may have upstaged some of the artwork on show
Alvaro Barrington takes a road trip to the Venice Biennale
The artist's contribution to In Minor Keys includes a decked out truck driven from London to Venice
Guides
Our pick of the best pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale
From splashing sewage to moments of zen, here is our selection of top national presentations in the Giardini, Arsenale and across town
Venice Biennale 2026: all the national pavilions, artists and curators so far
The latest announcements of the key players representing their countries at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia
Venice Biennale curatorial team reveal how they are bringing the late Koyo Kouoh's vision to life
The team announced the 111 artists and artist collectives—many of whom come from the Global South—that will be included in the exhibition "In Minor Keys"
Luca De Michelis, chief executive of Marsilio Arte, on his favourite spots in Venice beyond the Biennale
The head of the Venice-based publisher and exhibition organising company shares his suggestions for places to eat, shop and explore
Features
In Minor Keys: how Venice's international exhibition was brought to life after the death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh
Our guide to the themes and strands of this year's international exhibition, and some of the key artists on display
The Venice Biennale has long been a sales platform—now no one is pretending otherwise
From a Christie's exhibition to a posthumous display of Mel Ramos, this year numerous explicitly commercial shows signal a shift in attitude
The art of politics: how global conflicts are playing out in this year's Venice Biennale
Israel and Russia's return to the Biennale has sparked threats of disruption
Exhibitions
Shirin Neshat's Venice exhibition explores identity, exile and a social media tragedy
For her show at the Palazzo Marin, the artist found inspiration in the story of fellow Iranian Nasim Aghdam, whose dispute with YouTube escalated into violence
Muscle memory: Natasha Tontey’s wild Venice installation explodes perceptions of Indonesian history
The artist’s B-movie inspired project at Ateneo Veneto reimagines the story of Len Karamoy, an overlooked member of the resistance movement Permesta
Artist interviews
Lubaina Himid on capturing the 'uneasiness' of Britain for her Venice Biennale pavilion
The artist, who was born in Zanzibar, describes Britain as having "all the hallmarks of safety and calm, but has an underlying loathing of the Other"
Sound-based Holy See pavilion opens at Venice Biennale as Vatican’s contemporary art ambitions grow
The Vatican meanwhile recently opened a contemporary art space, which next year will feature work by artists including Yan Pei-Ming
Polish pavilion at Venice Biennale explores fluidity of language with film recorded underwater
Deaf and hearing performers worked on the project, filmed in a Warsaw swimming pool
Parasol Unit returns with a showcase of women from Central Asia and beyond
The non-profit London space, which closed in 2020, enters a new era at the Venice Biennale with an exhibition of 11 female artists
Lotus Kang channels desire into Bvlgari's Venice Biennale pavilion
The Canada-born, New York-based artist creates works informed by everything from industrial rubber to rat pups
The US pavilion's curator on the controversial choice of Alma Allen for the Venice Biennale
The artist’s geologically based works are the ideal choice as the US celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, says Jeffrey Uslip
'I wanted to catch the desperation': Dries Verhoeven on turning the Dutch pavilion into a bunker for the Venice Biennale
The open, light-filled Dutch pavilion has been turned into a dark bunker-like space, where visitors will experience a raw vocal performance
Arthur Jafa: ‘America has always been a demonic state. And we love it’
Jafa and Richard Prince come together for the first time in an explosive new exhibition which shows their shared interest in appropriation and the real America
Lee Ufan: ‘I try to bring together those things which are made and unmade’
The South Korean artist, whose work is on show in Venice's Piazza San Marco during the Biennale, describes how his work combines the natural and industrial, and why he taught himself to draw breath—literally
‘She had a fresh, informed eye’: mural depicting late Venice Biennale curator Koyo Kouoh displayed in lagoon city
Derrick Adams’ piece features “beams of gold signifying the brilliance and reach” of the curator’s influence
The Bahamas returns to the Venice Biennale with a joy-filled posthumous collaboration
Lavar Munroe is showing work alongside that of his mentor, the late John Beadle, celebrating the islands' community and carnival traditions
Mind the baby! Visitors to the Japanese Venice Biennale pavilion will be asked to look after dolls
Ei Arakawa-Nash's exhibition explores the nature of caregiving, inspired by becoming a parent to twins
Venice exhibition of site-specific films aims to capture the hyper stimulating times we are living in
The show "Canicula" is the third in a series presented by Fondazione In Between Art Film
‘We are complicit’: Austrian artist Florentina Holzinger’s immersive Venice Biennale pavilion brings apocalypse to the city
This year’s Austrian pavilion echoes the science-fiction film “Waterworld”, with a side order of body horror
‘It’s really important that the public is not just a silent witness’: Marina Abramović on her Venice Biennale exhibition
The self-styled “grandmother of performance art” is the first female living artist to exhibit at the Gallerie dell’Accademia—and she wants everyone to join in
Iran will not participate at the 2026 Venice Biennale
Iran appears to have withdrawn from the 61st edition of the event, amid rising tensions and fears of renewed conflict in the Middle East
Morocco debuts at the Biennale with an exploration of its age-old craft traditions
Artist Amina Agueznay has created a 300 sq m site-specific installation in the Arsenale
Venice Biennale’s jury resigns
The five-person jury resigned amid an escalating dispute over the participation of Israel and Russia at this year’s Biennale
Georg Baselitz, German artist who turned figurative painting on its head, has died, aged 88
Baselitz’s death comes on the eve of a major exhibition of his latest paintings at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini concurrent with the Venice Biennale
East Africa meets Western Europe as Michael Armitage takes on Venice's Palazzo Grassi
The sweeping exhibition "The Promise of Change" demonstrates the painter’s fascination with art history and mythology, and his movement between dreams and documentary
Israel’s foreign ministry accuses Venice Biennale's jury of ‘politicising’ exhibition
The Biennale's five-member international jury announced on Thursday that it would not award prizes to countries “whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court”
From monumental glass sculptures to a lagoon in the sky: what to see beyond the Venice Biennale pavilions
Ambitious art projects abound across the streets—and islands—of Venice
FKA Twigs and Brian Eno among artists included in the Vatican's sound-based 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion
The Holy See pavilion will honour the the life and legacy of the Benedictine nun, Saint Hildegard of Bingen
Members of European Parliament call on EU to pull Venice Biennale funding over Russian participation
Dozens of MEPs signed a letter decrying Russia’s plan to return to the Biennale and urging the suspension of all EU funding
‘I have not walked this path alone’: South African artist Gabrielle Goliath on showing her cancelled Venice Biennale project outside the main event
The artist meanwhile has heavily criticised her country’s decision to leave its official pavilion empty
Nearly 200 Venice Biennale participants sign letter demanding cancellation of Israeli pavilion
Signatories include artists Alfredo Jaar, Yto Barrada, Rosana Paulino, Meriem Bennani and Cauleen Smith, along with curators such as Binna Choi and Carles Guerra
Pussy Riot slams Russia’s return to Venice Biennale
Russia’s decision to put on a show in Venice has prompted criticism from Russian dissidents and Ukrainian artists
Venice Biennale details revealed, Beatriz González and Tracey Emin in London—podcast
Ben Luke speaks to Jane Morris about the 2026 Biennale artists and framework, takes a tour of the late González's show at the Barbican. Plus, a conversation about a long-hidden Emin work
Khaled Sabsabi—who had his Australia Pavilion cancelled and reinstated—will also exhibit in main Venice Biennale show
His double appearance in Venice is “a major historic first for an Australian artist”, the government body Creative Australia says
South Africa pavilion will be empty at 2026 Venice Biennale, culture ministry says
The announcement comes after a court dismissed Gabrielle Goliath’s attempt to have her project reinstated—a ruling that has been met with anger by members of South Africa’s art world
Artist Gabrielle Goliath’s attempt to reinstate cancelled Venice Biennale pavilion dismissed by court
The artist and the curator Ingrid Masondo will be challenging the decision handed down by a judge from South Africa’s high court















































