Austria's pavilion features naked jet-skiers
- The Guardian profiled Austrian artist Florentina Holzinger's Venice pavilion today, describing performances including naked jet-skiers and a performer ringing a bell with her body. - The profile said another pavilion act involved a performer immersed in audience urine; the piece called the pavilion a major conversation starter. - The Guardian article on Holzinger's pavilion was published May 19, 2026 and cited as a Biennale highlight. (theguardian.com)
Austria's pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, which opened on May 9, 2026, features performances by artist Florentina Holzinger including naked jet-skiers circling a lagoon pool and a performer ringing a massive bell using her body (; ). Holzinger, a 39-year-old Austrian artist based in Berlin, directs the pavilion's program titled "Meta-Meta," which runs through November 23, 2026, at the Austrian Pavilion in Venice's Giardini. One centerpiece act shows nude performers jet-skiing in tight formation inside a shallow indoor pool, splashing water toward spectators while wearing crash helmets; the sequence builds to performers diving underwater in synchronized patterns. In another piece, a performer clad only in a metal harness climbs a scaffolding tower and strikes a 1.5-meter bronze bell repeatedly with her pelvis and thighs, producing resonant clangs that echo through the pavilion. A third performance involves a diver submerged in a tank filled with audience members' urine, collected on-site; the act, part of a ritualistic sequence with chanting and communal nudity, draws from Holzinger's interest in extreme bodily experiences. Holzinger describes her work as exploring "the limits of the body" through communal rituals that blend Catholic iconography, heavy metal aesthetics, and endurance tests; she told The Guardian the nudity aims to confront "puritanical" views of the body in art. The Biennale's overall edition, "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, includes 111 artists, 100 national pavilions, and 31 collateral events across Venice; Austria's entry has emerged as a flashpoint amid 700,000 expected visitors. Reactions split sharply: some visitors walk out mid-performance citing discomfort, while others praise it as a bold critique of sanitized contemporary art; one attendee called the urine-diving "viscerally unforgettable" in social media posts. Holzinger's prior works, like 2022's "A Sacred Rite" at Berlin's Volksbühne with mass nudity and mock crucifixions, set the tone; her Venice show continues that lineage, commissioned by the Austrian Federal Chancellery and Österreichische Galerie Belvedere. The pavilion operates daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 p.m. on weekends) until November 23; tickets cost €30 for the full Biennale pass, with live performances scheduled at varying times—check the official site for the latest (; ).
