2026 Venice Biennale Opens With 100 Pavilions, a Jury Resignation, and a Posthumous Curatorial Vision
The 2026 Venice Biennale is arriving with an unusually charged mix of art, diplomacy, and institutional upheaval. In March, La Biennale di Venezia announced 100 official pavilions and 31 collateral events for the next edition, whose main exhibition will be titled “In Minor Keys.” But the national pavilions — the country-specific presentations that have long made the Biennale feel like the art world’s Olympics — are already at the center of controversy.
Russia’s inclusion has drawn criticism in the EU, where some politicians have argued that a Russian Pavilion violates sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine. Australia’s participation was first canceled and then reinstated. The United States Pavilion announcement was also delayed by the government shutdown, underscoring how national politics can shape even the most closely watched art event in the world.
The dispute widened after the jury for the Golden Lion for Best National Participation resigned en masse on April 30. The five-member panel had said that countries facing pending International Criminal Court charges for crimes against humanity would not be considered, a position that would affect Russia and Israel. The Biennale later said that no Golden Lions will be awarded this year. Instead, it will present Visitors’ Lions, selected by public vote.
The main exhibition itself will proceed under the vision of Koyo Kouoh, the former executive director and chief curator of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. Kouoh was selected in late 2024 to curate the central show, but died unexpectedly on May 10, 2025, just weeks before her theme was to be announced. The Biennale has said it will continue with her project, with the full support of her family and the help of five curatorial advisers.
The first pavilions to emerge suggest the range of approaches ahead. Albania’s pavilion will be titled “A Place in the Sun,” while Argentina’s will be “Monitor Yin Yang.” The Armenian Pavilion is being organized by Tony Shafrazi and Tina Shakarian with artist Zadik Zadikian.
For a Biennale built on national representation, the 2026 edition is already revealing how fragile that framework can be. The art will open in Venice, but the arguments around it have begun well before the previews.
