Contemporary Art Meets Carlo Scarpa During the 2026 Biennale
Among the most remarkable exhibitions to visit in Venice during the 2026 Venice Biennale, Hybrids. Leandro Erlich at the Olivetti Showroom stands out as one of the season’s highlights. The exhibition brings together the visionary work of the Argentine artist with one of Italy’s greatest architectural masterpieces by Carlo Scarpa. Set inside the historic Olivetti Showroom overlooking St. Mark’s Square, the project offers an immersive experience where sculpture, architecture, and contemporary art come together in perfect harmony.
Leandro Erlich The Cloud - L’Espoir (2024)
Digital print with ceramic inks on ultra-clear glass, wooden frame,
and LED lighting, 175 × 91 × 50 cm
Courtesy the artist. Photographer Duccio Benvenuti
The Olivetti Showroom in Venice: Carlo Scarpa’s Architectural Masterpiece
Located in the heart of St. Mark’s Square, the Olivetti Showroom is far more than an exhibition space. Designed by Carlo Scarpa between 1957 and 1958 at the request of Adriano Olivetti, it is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of twentieth-century Italian architecture and an essential destination for anyone visiting Venice.
Its suspended staircase, marble finishes, masterful use of natural light, and seamless dialogue between interior and exterior spaces transform the showroom into a work of art in its own right. Today, Scarpa’s project remains an outstanding example of how architecture, design, and functionality can coexist in perfect balance.
Leandro Erlich, NegozioOlivetti. Installation view ©Ela Bialkowska OKNO studio. Courtesy of Associazione Arte Continua
Leandro Erlich Brings His Surreal Sculptures to Venice
From 9 May to 22 November 2026, the Olivetti Showroom hosts Hybrids, a solo exhibition by Leandro Erlich, curated by Marcello Dantas and presented in collaboration with FAI – Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano ETS, with the support of Galleria Continua.
The exhibition features around twenty works, including sculptures, photographs, and a large textile installation, several of which are new or exhibited for the first time. The project is part of the Arte all’Arte programme promoted by Associazione Arte Continua, an initiative dedicated to fostering new connections between art, architecture, and the urban landscape.
Following the success of his acclaimed Milan exhibition in 2023, Leandro Erlich returns to Italy with a project that finds its ideal setting in the Olivetti Showroom, where his distinctive visual language of illusion, transformation, and shifting realities comes vividly to life.
The encounter between Leandro Erlich’s sculptures and the spaces designed by Carlo Scarpa forms the core of the exhibition. Rather than simply occupying the architecture, the artworks appear to emerge naturally from it, creating a dialogue built on both contrast and continuity.
Erlich’s universe is populated by hybrid forms that challenge conventional classifications. In Caracol – The Pace of Evolution (2021), a human brain transforms into a snail, reflecting on evolution as a slow and unpredictable process. In Pies Tronco (2021), a tree trunk sprouts human feet, creating an unexpected connection between nature and humanity. Meanwhile, Papillon (2021), a bronze sculpture whose butterfly wings take the shape of human ears, invites visitors to reflect on listening and communication.
Alongside the three-dimensional works, photographs and textile installations expand the exhibition, exploring the relationships between materiality, perception, and the construction of reality. Each artwork subtly alters the visitor’s perception of space while engaging with Scarpa’s sophisticated architectural design.
Leandro Erlich, Papillon, 2021, bronzo. Courtesy of Leandro Erlich Studio
Leandro Erlich, Caracol - The Pace of Evolution, 2021,
marmo bianco di Carrara. Courtesy of Leandro Erlich Studio
Leandro Erlich, Pies Tronco, 2021, bronzo colato. Ph Marek Kruszewski. Courtesy of Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and Leandro Erlich Studio
One of the Must-See Exhibitions in Venice During the 2026 Biennale
Now that the 2026 Venice Biennale is in full swing, Hybrids has established itself as one of the city’s most compelling collateral exhibitions beyond the Giardini and the Arsenale.
The exhibition’s strength lies not only in the quality of Leandro Erlich’s works, but also in the remarkable dialogue they establish with one of Venice’s most iconic architectural spaces.
The Olivetti Showroom, carefully restored and managed by FAI, provides the perfect setting for the meeting between Erlich’s imaginative artistic vision and Carlo Scarpa’s timeless architectural language. The result is an exhibition that goes far beyond a traditional display, offering visitors an immersive journey where contemporary art, sculpture, and architecture continuously reshape one another.
For anyone visiting Venice during the Biennale, this exhibition is an unmissable opportunity to experience one of Italy’s greatest architectural landmarks through the lens of contemporary art, where sculpture becomes a powerful medium for wonder, reflection, and transformation.
Leandro Erlich. Courtesy the artist
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