"It was almost over before it even started. This year's Venice Biennale has been tearing itself apart for months: countries not showing up, artists getting fired, exhibitions being cancelled, funding getting pulled. There were petitions and protests months before a painting was on a wall. The jury quit in the days leading up to the opening, then Iran quit, then the European Commission quit."
"There were protests against Israel and Russia during the preview, artists went on strike and artworks were replaced with installations of Palestinian flags. The whole thing was a massive mess of conflicting politics, personal tragedy and unresolvable ideological differences from the very beginning. And all this without even mentioning that the curator, Koyo Kouoh, died last year and wasn't able to see her artistic vision through to completion."
"Kouoh's idea for her biennale was to chuck aside the ire and invective of outright political art, and focus on quiet, contemplation and healing. Titled In Minor Keys, this exhibition is about spiritual and physical rest in oases of art. It's about low notes and deep listening. Seriously? I mean, the world is collapsing out there, wars are breaking out every few minutes, the far right is flourishing, the planet is dying, and AI is about to turn us all into batteries. But the biggest art exhibition on Earth wants us to relax?"
"A five-person curatorial team stepped up in Kouoh's absence, and boy can you tell. This is an exhibition curated by committee. The two central shows in the Giardini and Arsenale are a vast, near-incomprehensible mess of totally disparate, poorly explained art. The focus is on artists from the global south, but that's not explained or cont"
The 2026 Venice Biennale experienced prolonged instability, including countries not participating, artists being fired, exhibitions being cancelled, and funding being withdrawn. Petitions and protests occurred before any artworks were installed, and the jury quit shortly before the opening. Iran and the European Commission also withdrew. During previews, protests targeted Israel and Russia, artists went on strike, and artworks were replaced with installations of Palestinian flags. The event was further affected by the death of curator Koyo Kouoh, whose vision emphasized quiet contemplation and healing rather than overt political art. A five-person curatorial team carried the work forward, but the resulting exhibitions in the Giardini and Arsenale were described as disjointed and poorly explained, with a focus on artists from the global south lacking clear framing.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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