G.A.S. joins Venice Biennale

Guest Artists Space Foundation, a Nigeria-based residency and research nonprofit, will take part in the main exhibition of the 2026 Venice Biennale. (guestartistsspace.com) La Biennale di Venezia said the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys,” opens to the public on May 9, 2026 and runs through November 22, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. Guest Artists Space Foundation said its project will be shown in the Arsenale as part of the main exhibition. (labiennale.org) (yinkashonibarefoundation.com) The foundation was founded in 2019 by artist Yinka Shonibare and operates from two sites in Nigeria: a creative space in Lagos and a farm-based residency site in Ikise, Ogun State. Its programs focus on residencies, public events and research projects that link art with food systems, ecology, education and institution-building. (guestartistsspace.com) That makes this invitation different from a standard single-artist presentation. Guest Artists Space Foundation said curator Koyo Kouoh treated the residency itself as a form of artistic practice and a site of research, not only as support infrastructure behind other artists’ work. (guestartistsspace.com) The 2026 edition carries extra weight because Kouoh died on May 10, 2025 after completing the exhibition’s framework, artist list, catalogue plan and exhibition design. La Biennale said it chose to proceed with the show as she conceived it, with the support of her family and the curatorial team she assembled. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) La Biennale said “In Minor Keys” will include 111 invited participants, spanning individual artists, duos, collectives and artist-led organizations from multiple regions. Guest Artists Space Foundation’s selection places a Nigerian institution, not only Nigerian-born artists, inside that core international list. (labiennale.org) (guestartistsspace.com) The project’s lead is Ann Marie Peña, according to the foundation, with support from Shonibare, Yinka Shonibare Foundation Chief Executive Officer Belinda Holden and Guest Artists Space Foundation Executive Director Moni Aisida. Samantha Russell is managing the project, and MOE+ Art Architecture, led by Papa Omotayo and Oyinade Adegbite, is designing the installation. (guestartistsspace.com) The production team also includes Filmwrights producer Randall Wright, Julie Buckland, Sound Disposition’s Roland Heap and Simon Haupt, and Funmilola Ogushina on sound. The foundation listed support from the Osahon Okunbo Foundation, Triangle Network and a group of private donors. (guestartistsspace.com) Kouoh was appointed to curate the 2026 biennale in November 2024, becoming the first African woman named to that role by La Biennale. When the exhibition opens in Venice in May, Guest Artists Space Foundation will be part of the version she finished before her death. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2)