The 61st edition of the Venice Biennale arrives amid a rare swirl of institutional drama and personal tragedy. In the days leading up to the public program, the event has been shaped by a resigned jury, the cancellation of traditional awards, the sudden deaths of leading figures, and last-minute national decisions that shift who will—or will not—be represented. All of this unfolds against the city’s sunlit canals and labyrinthine streets, where official shows mingle with private exhibitions and parties, creating a dense cultural week that feels equal parts spectacle and crisis.
What visitors will encounter is more than a single curated display: the Biennale always operates as a network of official and satellite events. The main exhibition fills the Arsenale and the Giardini, while national pavilions and independent spaces populate palazzos, islands, and foundations. Together they form an ecosystem in which geopolitics, logistics, and artistic ambition collide—sometimes spectacularly.
Organizational upheaval and prize rethinking
At the center of the controversy is a dramatic shift in how the Biennale will handle awards. The five-person international jury resigned after a public disagreement about whether artists from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges should be eligible. In response, the Biennale announced that the usual golden lion prizes would not be awarded on opening day; instead, a new format of Visitors’ Lions will be decided by the public at the close of the season. The ceremony originally planned for early May has been postponed to 22 November, a move that reframes the awards as a deferred, audience-driven reckoning rather than an expert-led adjudication.
That procedural pivot echoes larger tensions about inclusion, censorship, and the role of art institutions as neutral ground. Organizers defended the change as an affirmation of the Biennale’s founding ideals of dialogue and openness, while critics argued that sidestepping a jury did not resolve the underlying political stakes. Either way, the show will open under a cloud of procedural uncertainty, and ticket-holders who visit both the Giardini and the Arsenale will later be invited to participate in the popular vote for the season’s top recognitions.
Losses, logistical headaches and national withdrawals
The exhibition’s path to opening has been shadowed by personal and diplomatic losses. The Biennale’s appointed artistic director, Koyo Kouoh, died suddenly in early 2026, leaving a near-complete plan that colleagues have had to finalize. Another unexpected death was that of the artist Henrike Naumann, who was due to debut work in a prominent national pavilion. These absences are felt institutionally and emotionally across the program.
At the national level, there are disruptions too. The American pavilion drew attention for a last-minute selection process: the State Department’s grant portal opened only after inquiries, and the Mexico-based sculptor Alma Allen was ultimately chosen—a decision that surprised some longstanding curators. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran announced it would not take part, a withdrawal that organisers noted just days before the Biennale’s public opening on 9 May. Observers pointed to geopolitical strain and logistical barriers—suspended flights and disrupted postal services—as practical factors that would have complicated shipping artworks to Venice.
What to see: the main exhibition and pavilion highlights
The central exhibition, curated before Kouoh’s death and titled In Minor Keys, gathers 110 artists and collectives across the Arsenale and the Giardini. Expect a program focused on relational practices, quiet formal probing, and global perspectives. Notable names in the roster include Laurie Anderson, Alvaro Barrington, Nick Cave, Torkwase Dyson, Wangechi Mutu, Otobong Nkanga, and Alfredo Jaar, among others. The exhibition’s range is meant to map how subtle, connective approaches resonate in an age of intense geopolitics.
Main national pavilions to watch
The Giardini’s national pavilions read like an art-world itinerary. The United States pavilion remains a focal stop thanks to Alma Allen’s debut; Great Britain features Lubaina Himid; the French pavilion presents Yto Barrada; and the Holy See’s pavilion—curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers—includes a program that involves Patti Smith. India returns with a new pavilion produced in collaboration with the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, and other national presentations promise a mix of veteran voices and younger makers.
Collateral exhibitions and must-see shows
Beyond the Biennale’s official footprint, private foundations and museums stage major projects. Highlights include the duo show of Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince at Fondazione Prada, a debut program at the newly acquired Fondazione Dries Van Noten, and institution-scale surveys such as Michael Armitage at Palazzo Grassi and a late suite by Georg Baselitz at Fondazione Giorgio Cini. Performance, sculpture, and painting converge across island venues and palazzos, offering an itinerary where a boat ride is often the only way between dinners, openings, and artworks.
In a season defined by disruption, the 61st Biennale nevertheless offers a packed roster of shows, fresh commissions, and contentious conversations. Whether you follow the awards controversy, mourn the creative figures lost, or simply want to see the projects everyone will be debating, Venice this year serves as a concentrated snapshot of an art world negotiating politics, mourning, and the public’s role in cultural judgment.
