2026 Venice Biennale Aims to Deliver Clear Message Amid Distractions
The Venice Biennale has announced the theme of its 2026 edition, slated to run from May 9 to November 22. Attuned with the late Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh’s vision, “In Minor Keys” will focus on low harmonies, connective hums, and enduring cadences of song and sound.
Before her sudden death earlier this month, Kouoh, who was tapped to curate the 61st Biennale, elucidated her ideas for the theme in a curatorial text. “Through a visual and meditative procession, the exhibition prompts all senses to interconnect and meander from one universe to the other, rendering visible the possibilities that reside in the in-between spaces and beyond the portals,” she wrote, citing the work of writers James Baldwin, Patrick Chamoiseau, and Toni Morrison as inspirations for the massive contemporary art exhibition.
“This is an invitation to encounter these words in the immediate physical, meteorological, ambient, and karmic conditions in which they meet you,” Kouoh’s text continued. “To shift to a slower gear and tune in to the frequencies of the minor keys.”
The theme for the show pertains to the Venice Biennale’s main exhibition, which is installed in the central pavilion across the public gardens and dockyards. It is one of three main facets of the show, which also features national pavilions and a series of independently organized exhibitions known as collateral events.
“In Minor Keys” will be carried out according to Kouoh’s specifications with the support of her family and contributions from colleagues, including an advisory team consisting of London-based historian Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Berlin-based curator Marie Helene Pereira, film programmer Rasha Salti, New York-based journalist Siddhartha Mitter, and assistant Rory Tsapayi.
Formerly the executive director and chief curator of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, Kouoh was appointed as curator of the Venice Biennale in December. She would have been the first African woman to be at the helm of the art show in its 130-year history. Between mid-October 2024 and early May of this year, Kouoh had worked rigorously to develop the framework for next year’s edition, which organizers had slated to announce last week. They plan to release other details, including the list of artists for the International Exhibition, the exhibition design, and the roster of participating countries in late February 2026.
“In Minor Keys” will follow last year’s highly attended edition “Foreigners Everywhere,” which was curated by Adriana Pedrosa, the artistic director of the São Paulo Museum of Art.