The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled “In Minor Keys” and curated by Koyo Kouoh, is set to take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with a pre-opening from May 6 to 8. The exhibition will unfold across the traditional venues of the Giardini and the Arsenale, as well as various other locations throughout Venice.
Despite the passing of Koyo Kouoh on May 10, 2025, La Biennale di Venezia has committed to realizing the exhibition exactly as she conceived and defined it. This decision aims to preserve, enhance, and widely disseminate her ideas and the extensive work she accomplished, honoring her vision and legacy.
The exhibition will feature 111 participants – including artists, duos, collectives, and organizations – drawn from diverse geographical and cultural contexts. Koyo Kouoh’s selection process prioritized resonances, affinities, and potential convergences between practices that might otherwise seem distant. By observing active artistic realities in places like Salvador, Dakar, San Juan, Beirut, Paris, and Nashville, the Curator envisioned an exhibition that could articulate and expand a “relational geography” cultivated over a lifetime.
Accompanying the central exhibition will be 99 National Participations and 31 Collateral Events. Seven countries will make their debut at the Biennale Arte: the Republic of Guinea, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Nauru, Qatar, the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. El Salvador will participate for the first time with its own dedicated pavilion.
La Biennale di Venezia reaffirms its role as an open institution, fostering dialogue, artistic freedom, and encounters between peoples and cultures, while unequivocally rejecting any form of closure or censorship. Venice, as the host city, continues to be a place of welcome and exchange, always aspiring to contribute to the cessation of global conflicts and suffering.