The Venice Art Biennale, held every two years and often dubbed the “Olympics of the art world,” insists art transcends politics. Yet as a state-backed international forum with national pavilions, it inevitably intersects with global political tensions.
A posthumous exhibition by Koyo Kouoh
The 2026 edition, running May 9 to November 22, features 100 national participations and seven debut countries: Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Nauru, Qatar, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Vietnam. The main international exhibition, “In Minor Keys,” was curated by Cameroonian-born Koyo Kouoh, who died of cancer in May 2025 at 57. Kouoh — the first African woman to lead the Biennale’s main show — had developed the project before her death; the organizers decided to present it posthumously. The exhibition includes 111 invited participants and centers on marginal or overlooked voices. In her text, Kouoh described a “restorative form of resistance” that favors quiet, lower frequencies and attentive listening amid global chaos.
EU threatens to cut funding over Russia’s participation
Russia’s return to the Biennale in 2026, after a withdrawal by Russian artists following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has provoked controversy. The European Commission issued a formal warning to the Venice Biennale presidency, asking it to reconsider allowing Russia’s participation and threatening to suspend €2 million in funding. Italy’s political leadership is divided: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government opposes Russia’s presence, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called the EU’s threat “vulgar blackmail” against a vital cultural body. Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro warned the Russian pavilion would be closed if it engaged in propaganda but argued the Biennale should remain a space for dialogue. Biennale Foundation president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco has defended keeping the event open to all, saying “I close to no one.”
The Russian pavilion’s commissioner, Anastasia Karneeva, is the daughter of Nikolai Volobuev, a former FSB general and current deputy CEO of state defense firm Rostec. Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova condemned Russia’s showing as an attempt to “polish Russia’s image” and said the Italian government should replace pavilion representatives with works by Russian political prisoners; the feminist collective plans a protest performance in Venice.
South Africa’s pavilion to remain empty after ‘divisive’ work blocked
South African artist Gabrielle Goliath was selected to represent her country with a performance that would have included a tribute to Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, killed in an Israeli airstrike in October 2023. South Africa’s culture minister, Gayton McKenzie, requested edits, calling the piece “highly divisive.” Goliath refused to alter the work and was blocked; the national pavilion will remain empty after the government did not nominate a replacement. A video-installation version of the work will be shown at a non-Biennale venue in Venice, and Goliath is suing the culture minister.
Australia revoked then rehired its artist
Australia initially withdrew its commission of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino amid accusations from right-wing politicians that Sabsabi—Lebanon-born and relocated to Australia at age 12—had expressed antisemitic views. Sabsabi’s work often addresses civil war trauma, Arab immigrant identity and Islamophobia. After public backlash, calls for boycotts and resignations, and an independent external review, Australia reversed its decision and reinstated the duo.
Calls to exclude Israel
Close to 200 artists, curators and Biennale participants organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance called for Israel to be banned from the 2026 show. A separate letter signed by more than 70 participants in the main exhibition urged exclusion not only of Israel but of all “current regimes committing war crimes,” citing Russia and the US as examples. The controversy is heightened by Israel’s placement in the Arsenale — where Kouoh’s exhibition also sits — because the national pavilion in the Giardini is under renovation. Romanian-born Haifa-based sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru said he will participate, rejecting cultural boycotts in favor of dialogue.
At the 2024 Biennale, Israeli artist Ruth Patir closed the national pavilion until a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages was achieved. There has never been a Palestinian national pavilion at Venice because only states officially recognized by Italy may participate; a side exhibition titled “Gaza — No Words” will run in the host city during the Biennale.
‘Ruin’: German pavilion features late artist
Germany’s national show, “Ruin,” draws on research about the former GDR and the reunification period after 1990. Installation artist Henrike Naumann, who died of cancer in February at 41, completed her contribution before her death. The exhibition will also include work by Vietnamese-born Berlin artist Sung Tieu.
Vatican commissions sonic works inspired by Hildegard
The Vatican’s pavilion, titled “The Ear is the Eye of the Soul,” commissions sonic compositions inspired by 12th-century German mystic Hildegard of Bingen. The program features a roster of 24 artists, including Brian Eno, Patti Smith and FKA Twigs, among others.
Edited by: Sarah Hucal