the 61st International Art Exhibition will revolve around In Minor Keys
The Venice Biennale 2026 is set to mark a significant shift within the international contemporary art landscape, proposing a slower and more reflective approach compared to previous editions. Officially presented to the press at Ca’ Giustinian — the historic headquarters of the institution — the 61st International Art Exhibition will revolve around In Minor Keys, the curatorial project conceived by curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away prematurely in 2025 shortly after her appointment.
Despite her absence, Kouoh’s vision remains the conceptual foundation of the upcoming Biennale Arte di Venezia, now carried forward by the curatorial team that completed and developed the work she initiated. Opening to the public on May 9, 2026, the exhibition will once again transform Venice into one of the world’s most important platforms for artistic and cultural reflection.
The Venice Biennale Arte 2026
The Meaning of “In Minor Keys”: A Biennale Focused on Listening
The title of the 2026 Biennale borrows its meaning from music theory. Minor keys refer not only to tonal structure but also to emotional depth — evoking introspection, vulnerability, memory, and transformation.
According to the curatorial framework, the time has come to slow down and pay attention to what often remains unheard within dominant cultural narratives. The Venice Biennale therefore becomes a space dedicated to quieter stories, overlooked communities, and fragile cultural ecosystems existing beyond the traditional centers of artistic power.
Rather than pursuing spectacle, the exhibition seeks to reconnect art with its most essential dimension: emotional and subjective experience. Kouoh envisioned a Biennale capable of amplifying voices that continue to create beauty amid crisis, displacement, and social transformation — an approach that continues ongoing efforts to decentralize the global art system while adopting a more intimate and human tone.
Koyo Kouoh. Photo Mirjam Kluka
A More Focused Exhibition: Fewer Artists, Deeper Engagement
One of the most noticeable aspects of the Venice Biennale Arte 2026 is its scale. In Minor Keys will feature 111 artists, a significantly smaller number compared to the previous edition.
This decision reflects a curatorial intention to prioritize depth over quantity. Participating artists span multiple generations — born between the 1940s and the 1990s — alongside a few historical presences that connect past and present artistic practices.
The 2026 Biennale places particular emphasis on today’s artistic production: contemporary research, active creative communities, and evolving modes of artistic practice. Selection criteria extend beyond geography or biography, focusing instead on relationships, processes, and shared cultural contexts shaping contemporary art today.
New Exhibition Paths Between Architecture and Thought
Another key innovation lies in the exhibition’s structure. Rather than organizing artworks into traditional thematic sections, the show will unfold through conceptual pathways.
These routes will create connections between works, disciplines, and ideas, guiding visitors through themes such as enchantment, thresholds, education, and collective knowledge. Architecture and exhibition design will echo these conceptual trajectories, transforming the visitor experience into a fluid narrative journey.
In this sense, the Venice Biennale becomes less a sequence of galleries and more an immersive environment meant to be experienced and explored.
President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and the curatorial team of In Minor Keys. Photo by Jacopo Salvi. Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia.
Performance and Poetry at the Core of the Biennale
A defining feature of the 2026 edition is the strong presence of artistic practices that challenge the dominance of visual perception. Performance, poetry, and spoken word play a central role within In Minor Keys.
The Biennale will open with a poetic procession through the Giardini, inspired by the Poetry Caravan, a project previously curated by Kouoh involving a cultural journey across Africa. This gesture highlights the intention to create a multisensory artistic experience that moves beyond visual consumption.
Performance thus becomes a tool for redefining the relationship between audience and artwork, positioning the Biennale as a living and participatory cultural space.
Artists Featured in the Venice Biennale Arte 2026
Alongside numerous emerging and lesser-known figures — consistent with the exhibition’s curatorial philosophy — the Venice Biennale 2026 will also include internationally renowned artists.
Among them are Laurie Anderson, Carsten Höller, Otobong Nkanga, Kader Attia, and Alfredo Jaar, artists whose practices frequently explore the intersections between art, politics, and social responsibility.
The Applied Arts Pavilion will host a project by artist Gala Porras-Kim, while Forte Marghera — increasingly central to the dialogue between Venice and the mainland — will present site-specific interventions by Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Uriel Orlow, and Fabrice Aragno.
Bvlgari Becomes Exclusive Partner of the Venice Biennale
Institutionally, one of the most significant developments is the new partnership with luxury maison Bvlgari, which will support the Biennale through 2030. As exclusive partner, the brand will present a dedicated artistic project within the Esedra Pavilion at the Giardini.
Canadian artist Lotus L. Kang has been invited to create a new installation exploring themes of time, transformation, and material evolution, engaging directly with Venice’s historical and symbolic context.
A Biennale That Slows Down the Rhythm of Contemporary Art
The Venice Biennale Arte 2026 ultimately signals an important transition: less emphasis on spectacle and greater attention to listening, relationships, and emotional complexity.
In Minor Keys proposes a quieter, more reflective Biennale — one that questions the present through the voices of artists and the many languages of contemporary art. In an era defined by acceleration and visual overload, Venice chooses to lower the volume, allowing audiences to finally hear what usually remains in the background.
