111 artists announced for the 61st Venice Biennale

The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled In Minor Keys, is set to open on Saturday, 9 May 2026, and run until Sunday, 22 November 2026. Curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in May 2025, the exhibition will be staged across Venice’s Giardini, the Arsenale, and various other locations throughout the city. With a pre-opening from 6 to 8 May and an inauguration and awards ceremony on 9 May, the Biennale will be  a significant cultural event that honours Kouoh’s visionary approach to art and curation. Despite her untimely death, the Biennale, with the full support of Kouoh’s family, has committed to realising her curatorial vision, preserving her ideas and artistic methodology for a global audience.

Venice. Image credit MTotoe/ FLO London

Kouoh, appointed Artistic Director of the Visual Arts Department in November 2024, had already laid the foundations of the exhibition, from selecting artists and artworks to defining the architecture and graphic identity of the show. Her team, including advisors Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Hélène Pereira, and Rasha Salti, editor-in-chief Siddhartha Mitter, and research assistant Rory Tsapayi, has continued her work across multiple continents.

Minor Keys will be structured around conceptual motifs that emerged organically from Kouoh’s curatorial dialogue. Among these will be “Shrines”, which will pay tribute to artists Issa Samb and Beverly Buchanan, highlighting their generative, socially rooted practices; “Processions”, inspired by carnival and Afro-Atlantic gatherings, which will encourage audiences to engage dynamically with art; and “Schools”, artist-led spaces of learning and communal creation. The exhibition will also include contemplative spaces for rest and reflection, drawing attention to the natural world, ecological memory, and human resilience. Literary influences, including Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, will be woven throughout the works.

Koyo Kouoh. © Mirjam Kluka

The exhibition’s 111 participants will represent a wide geographic and cultural spectrum, from Dakar to Salvador, Beirut to Nashville, reflecting Kouoh’s vision of relational encounters and synchronicity across artistic practices. Installations, performances, and multisensory experiences will encourage visitors to engage thoughtfully and attentively with the artworks. A central feature will be a poetry procession in the Giardini della Biennale, inspired by Kouoh’s 1999 Poetry Caravan from Dakar to Timbuktu, which will honour African griots and emphasise the power of storytelling, collective memory, and human connectivity.

Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of La Biennale di Venezia, described In Minor Keys as “permeated with spirit, with a sacredness that puts the human being back at the heart of things.” The will exhibition reflect Kouoh’s dedication to authenticity, human-scale relationships, and the creative potential in everyday gestures, offering a tribute to one of Africa’s most influential curators and her legacy.

Image courtesy of La Biennale Di Venezia 2024. Image courtesy of MTotoe/ FLO London

The full list of the 111 invited artists and organisations for Biennale Arte 2026: In Minor Keys:

• Pio Abad – Born 1983, Manila, Philippines. Lives in London, UK.

• Philip Aguirre y Otegui – Born 1961, Schoten, Belgium. Lives in Antwerp, Belgium.

• Akinbode Akinbiyi – Born 1946, Oxford, UK. Lives in Berlin, Germany.

• Laurie Anderson – Born 1947, Chicago, IL, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.

• Fabric Aragno – Born 1970, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Lives in Lausanne, Switzerland.

• arms ache avid aeon:

• Nancy Brooks Brody – Born 1962, New York City, NY, USA, D. 2023

• Joy Episalla – Born 1957, Bronxville, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Zoe Leonard – Born 1961, Liberty, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Carrie Yamaoka – Born 1957, Glen Cove, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• fierce pussy – Founded 1991, New York City, NY, USA

• Jo-ey Tang – Born 1978, Hong Kong, China. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Kader Attia – Born 1970, Dugny, France. Lives in Berlin, Germany and Paris, France.

• Sammy Baloji – Born 1978, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lives in Brussels, Belgium and Lubumbashi, DRC.

• Ranti Bam – Born 1985, Lagos, Nigeria. Lives in Paris, France and Lagos, Nigeria.

• Alvaro Barrington – Born 1983, Caracas, Venezuela. Lives in London, UK.

• Éric Baudelaire – Born 1973, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Lives in Paris, France.

• Sabian Baumann – Born 1962, Zug, Switzerland. Lives in Zurich, Switzerland.

• blaxTARLINES KUMASI – Founded 2015, Kumasi, Ghana.

• Beverly Buchanan – Born 1940, Fuquay, NC, USA. D. 2015

• Seyni Awa Camara – Born 1945, Oussouy, Senegal. D. 2026

• Nick Cave – Born 1959, Chicago, IL, USA. Lives in Chicago, IL, USA

• Carolina Caycedo – Born 1978, London, UK. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA and Caguas, Puerto Rico

• Annalee Davis – Born 1963, St. Michael, Barbados. Lives in St. George, Barbados

• BuBu de la Madeleine – Born 1961, Osaka, Japan. Lives in Nara, Japan

• Dawn DeDeaux – Born 1952, New Orleans, LA, USA. Lives in New Orleans, LA, USA

• Nolan Oswald Dennis – Born 1988, Lusaka, Zambia. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa

• Denniston Hill – Founded 2008, Glen Wild, NY, USA

• Bonnie Devine – Born 1952, Toronto, Canada. Lives in Toronto, Canada

• Godfried Donkor – Born 1964, Kumasi, Ghana. Lives in London, UK and Accra, Ghana

• Marcel Duchamp – Born 1887, Blainville-Crevon, France. D. 1968

• Edouard Duval-Carrié – Born 1954, Port-au-Prince, Haïtï. Lives in Miami, FL, USA

• Torkwase Dyson – Born 1973, Chicago, IL, USA. Lives in Beacon, NY, USA

• rana elnemr – Born 1974, Hannover, Germany. Lives in Cairo, Egypt

• Theo Eshetu – Born 1958, London, UK. Lives in Berlin, Germany and Rome, Italy

• Rachel Fallon (with Alice Maher) – Born 1971, Dublin, Ireland. Lives in Dublin, Ireland

• G.A.S. Foundation – Founded 2023, Lagos and Ijebu Ode, Nigeria

• Sofía Gallisá Muriente – Born 1986, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lives in Puerto Rico

• Adebunmi Gbadebo – Born 1992, Livingston, NJ, USA. Lives in Philadelphia, PA and Newark, NJ, USA

• Leonilda González – Born 1923, Minuano, Uruguay. D. 2017

• Linda Goode Bryant – Born 1949, Columbus, OH, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige – Born 1969, Beirut & Moussaitbeh, Lebanon. Lives in Beirut, Lebanon and Paris, France

• Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka – Born 1988, Toronto, Canada. Lives in Toronto, Canada; New York City, NY, USA; and Japan

• Ayrson Heráclito – Born 1968, Macaúbas, Bahia, Brazil. Lives in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

• Clarissa Herbst & Dominique Rust – Born 1959, Crailsheim, Germany & 1960, Basel, Switzerland. Lives in Zurich, Switzerland

• Nicholas Hlobo – Born 1975, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa

• Carsten Höller – Born 1961, Brussels, Belgium. Lives in Stockholm, Sweden; Biriwa, Ghana; and Tuscany, Italy

• Sohrab Hura – Born 1981, Chinsurah, India. Lives in New Delhi, India

• Alfredo Jaar – Born 1965, Santiago, Chile. Lives in Lisbon, Portugal

• Mohammed Joha – Born 1978, Gaza, Palestine. Lives in Marseille, France

• Michael Joo – Born 1966, Ithaca, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Nina Katchadourian – Born 1968, Stanford, CA, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA and Berlin, Germany

• Bodys Isek Kingelez – Born 1948, Kimbembele Ihunga, former Belgian Congo. D. 2015

• Sandra Knecht – Born 1968, Buus, Switzerland. Lives in Buus, Switzerland

• Marcia Kure – Born 1970, Kano State, Nigeria. Lives in Princeton, NJ, USA; Abuja, and Kaduna, Nigeria

• Natalia Lassalle-Morillo (with Gloria Morillo) – Born 1991, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Florence Lazar – Born 1966, Paris, France. Lives in Paris, France

• Dan Lie – Born 1988. Lives in Berlin, Germany

• Werewere Liking – Born 1950, Mgombas, Cameroon. Lives in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

• lugar a dudas – Founded 2004, Cali, Colombia

• Daniel Lind-Ramos – Born 1953, Loiza, Puerto Rico. Lives in Loiza, Puerto Rico

• Alice Maher – Born 1956, Tipperary, Ireland. Lives in County Mayo, Ireland

• Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons & Kamaal Malak – Born 1959, Matanzas, Cuba & 1962, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Lives in Nashville, TN, USA

• Senzeni Marasela – Born 1977, Thokoza, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa

• Guadalupe Maravilla – Born 1976, San Salvador, El Salvador. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Manuel Mathieu – Born 1986, Port-au-Prince, Haïtï. Lives in Montreal, Canada and Paris, France

• Georgina Maxim – Born 1980, Harare, Zimbabwe. Lives in Harare and Mutare, Zimbabwe

• Tiona Nekkia McClodden – Born 1981, Blytheville, AR, USA. Lives in Philadelphia, PA, USA

• Big Chief Demond Melancon – Born 1978, New Orleans, LA, USA. Lives in New Orleans, LA, USA

• Avi Mograbi – Born 1956, Tel Aviv. Lives in Lisbon, Portugal

• Wangechi Mutu – Born 1972, Nairobi, Kenya. Lives in New York City, NY, USA and Nairobi, Kenya

• Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) – Founded 2020, Nairobi, Kenya

• Eustaquio Neves – Born 1955, Juatuba, Brazil. Lives in Diamantina, Brazil

• Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn – Born 1976, Sài Gòn, Việt Nam. Lives in Hội An, works in Hồ Chí Minh City, Việt Nam

• Tammy Nguyen – Born 1984, San Francisco, CA, USA. Lives in Easton, CT, USA

• Otobong Nkanga – Born 1974, Kano, Nigeria. Lives in Antwerp, Belgium, and Uyo, Nigeria

• Kaloki Nyamai – Born 1985, Nairobi, Kenya. Lives in Nairobi, Kenya

• Temitayo Ogunbiyi – Born 1984, Rochester, NY, USA. Lives in Lagos, Nigeria

• Pauline Oliveros – Born 1932, Houston, TX, USA. D. 2016

• Kambui Olujimi – Born 1976, Brooklyn, New York City, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Hagar Ophir – Born 1983, Jerusalem. Lives in Berlin, Germany

• Uriel Orlow – Born 1973, Zurich, Switzerland. Lives in Lisbon, Portugal; London, UK; and Basel, Switzerland

• Ebony G. Patterson – Born 1981, Kingston, Jamaica. Lives in Kingston, Jamaica and Chicago, IL, USA

• Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos – Born 1985, Colombo, Sri Lanka & 1981, Manila, Philippines. Lives in Toronto, Canada & Calgary, Canada

• Thania Petersen – Born 1980, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa

• Alan Phelan – Born 1968, Dublin, Ireland. Lives in Dublin, Ireland

• Johannes Phokela – Born 1966, Johannesburg, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa

• Léonard Pongo – Born 1988, Liège, Belgium. Lives in Brussels, Belgium and Kinshasa, DRC

• Walid Raad – Born 1967, Chbanieh, Lebanon. Lives in Medusa, NY, USA

• Mohammed Z. Rahman – Born 1997, London, UK. Lives in London, UK

• RAW Material Company – Founded 2008, Dakar, Senegal

• Tabita Rezaire – Born 1989, Paris, France. Lives in Cayenne, French Guiana

• Guadalupe Rosales – Born 1980, Redwood City, CA, USA. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA

• Yo-E Ryou – Born 1987, Seoul, South Korea. Lives in Seoul and Jeju Island, South Korea

• Khaled Sabsabi – Born 1965, Tripoli, Lebanon. Lives in Sydney, Australia

• Rose Salane – Born 1992, New York City, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Issa Samb – Born 1945, Dakar, Senegal. D. 2017

• Amina Saoudi Aït Khay – Born 1955, Casablanca, Morocco. Lives in Sousse, Tunisia

• Carrie Schneider – Born 1979, Chicago, IL, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA

• Hala Schoukair – Born 1957, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Beirut, Lebanon

• Berni Searle – Born 1964, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa

• Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi – Born 1943, Marapyane, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa

• Wardha Shabbir – Born 1987, Lahore, Pakistan. Lives in Lahore, Pakistan

• Yoshiko Shimada – Born 1959, Tokyo, Japan. Lives in Chiba, Japan

• Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser – Born 1987, New Delhi, India & 1985, Bonn, Germany. Lives in London, UK and New Delhi, India

• Buhlebezwe Siwani – Born 1987, Johannesburg, South Africa. Lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Cape Town, South Africa

• Cauleen Smith – Born 1967, Riverside, CA, USA. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA

• Vera Tamari – Born 1944, Jerusalem, Palestine. Lives in Ramallah, Palestine

• Tsai Ming-liang – Born 1957, Kuching, Malaysia. Lives in New Taipei City and Taipei, Taiwan

• Victoria-Idongesit Udondian – Born 1982, Uyo, Nigeria. Lives in Lagos, Nigeria and New York City, NY, USA

• Celia Vásquez Yui – Born 1960, Pucallpa, Peru. Lives in the Peruvian Amazon, Pucallpa, Peru

• Kemang Wa Lehulere – Born 1984, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa

• Kennedy Yanko – Born 1988, St. Louis, MO, USA. Lives in Miami, FL, USA

• Raed Yassin – Born 1979, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Beirut, Lebanon and Berlin, Germany

• Sawangwongse Yawnghwe – Born 1971, Shan State, Burma. Lives in Zutphen, Netherlands and Chiang Mai, Thailand

• Billie Zangewa – Born 1973, Blantyre, Malawi. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa

APPLIED ARTS PAVILION – Special Project of La Biennale di Venezia and Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Out of competition):

• Gala Porras-Kim – Born 1984, Bogotá, Colombia. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA and London, UK

The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, In Minor Keys, will take place from Saturday, 9 May to Sunday, 22 November 2026.