Venice Biennale preview

The 2026 Venice Biennale is opening under pressure from national pavilions, not just the central exhibition, weeks before preview days begin on May 6. (labiennale.org) La Biennale says the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled *In Minor Keys*, will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, across the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites in Venice. The official site lists 100 national participations and 31 collateral events. (labiennale.org) Vietnam is joining that field for the first time with its own national pavilion, “Viet Nam: Art in the Global Flow,” at the restored Ca’ Giustinian Faccanon palace. ArtAsiaPacific reported that curator Đỗ Tường Linh’s exhibition will include 10 artists, with a major installation by Lê Hữu Hiếu. (artasiapacific.com) The Russia question has moved from cultural dispute to funding fight. Euronews reported that the European Commission opened a procedure to freeze or revoke €2 million in support through 2028 unless Biennale leaders change course on Russia’s return. (euronews.com) That threat followed a March letter from at least 34 members of the European Parliament urging the European Union to suspend funding if Russia participates. The Art Newspaper said the lawmakers argued that an event financed with European public money should not host a pavilion from a state under broad European Union sanctions after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (theartnewspaper.com) The Biennale’s structure helps explain why the dispute is landing on pavilions first. Alongside the curator’s international exhibition, countries mount their own shows in permanent or temporary venues, turning Venice every two years into a map of state-backed cultural diplomacy. (labiennale.org) This edition is also carrying out a project conceived by Koyo Kouoh after her death in May 2025. La Biennale says it is proceeding with the exhibition “with the full support” of her family and following the project as she defined it. (labiennale.org) Russia’s planned return would be its first participation since 2022, and the split inside Italy has become public. Euronews reported that Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli signaled disapproval, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called Brussels’ funding threat “blackmail.” (euronews.com) So before the first awards are handed out on May 9, Venice is already staging two stories at once: a bigger roster of national presentations, including Vietnam’s debut, and a test of whether a pavilion can cost the Biennale its European funding. (labiennale.org)