Female nudity and art that stinks: key takeways from Venice Biennale 2026

"The presence of the Russians at the biennale for the first time since the country's war with Ukraine was an unavoidable talking point. On day one, loud music bellowed out of the pavilion and several crates of prosecco were sat outside before being ferried in to partying crowds. Pussy Riot responded by turning up in front of the pavilion on the second day, playing a song called Disobey temporarily forcing it to close its doors as police kept them out."

"At the launch of Lubaina Himid's work, a representative of the ambassador said a government minister would not be coming because of the Russian involvement. The government eventually confirmed that was the case, adding the UK strongly opposes Russia's participation at the Venice Biennale. Pussy Riot protesting at the Russian pavilion."

"Not everyone loved the previous US pavilion from 2024 by Jeffrey Gibson, but it was certainly lively with its rainbow colours, regular Native American powwows and dances, and super-queer vibes. Contrast that with Alma Allen's US pavilion his not yet titled sculptures were devoid of meaning or aesthetic pleasure and looked like something you would see joylessly plonked in a hotel lobby."

"The human bell-ringing of Florentina Holzinger was the main draw in the giardini with the Austrian pavilion pulling huge crowds who watched the choreographer's SeaWorld Venice unfold."

Russians returned to the Venice Biennale for the first time since the war with Ukraine, making their presence an unavoidable topic. Loud music and prosecco preceded partying crowds at the Russian pavilion. Pussy Riot appeared in front of the pavilion on the second day, played “Disobey,” and temporarily forced the pavilion to close as police kept them out. The UK response was indirect: a minister was not coming due to Russian involvement, and the government confirmed strong opposition to Russia’s participation. The US pavilion shifted from the lively, super-queer energy of Jeffrey Gibson’s 2024 work to Alma Allen’s sculptures described as joyless and lacking aesthetic pleasure. Florentina Holzinger’s performance drew major attention in the giardini, with the Austrian pavilion attracting huge crowds for “SeaWorld Venice.”

Read at www.theguardian.com