New Venice showcases: Yorke, Ogunji

Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood are taking a new exhibition to Venice in May, marking the pair’s first presentation outside the United Kingdom. (news.artnet.com) The show is titled “No Go Elevator (not without no keycard)” and will open during Biennale week at Castello 2432 on Fondamenta dei Penini in the Castello district. (news.artnet.com) (myartguides.com) My Art Guides lists the dates as May 7 to June 7, 2026. Artribune lists an invitation-only vernissage on May 6 at 6 p.m. and the exhibition dates as May 6 to June 7. (myartguides.com) (artribune.com) Artnet reported that the Venice space will hold drawings and a large painting, but Yorke declined to explain the work, saying only that visitors could wander into what currently occupies the duo’s waking hours. (news.artnet.com) A second Venice-week project is coming from Wura-Natasha Ogunji, the Nigeria- and United States-linked artist and performer. Third Space Art Foundation said Ogunji will present “The Dash” in its live arts program “1922 Revisited.” (finance.yahoo.com) (nationaltoday.com) Third Space said “1922 Revisited” will run May 5 to May 9, 2026, during Biennale preview activities, and described “The Dash” as a durational work made with ruby onyinyechi amanze in which two performers move in slow motion for one hour. (finance.yahoo.com) (nationaltoday.com) The official Biennale schedule says the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys,” opens to the public on May 9 and runs through November 22, with preview days on May 6, 7, and 8. (labiennale.org) That puts both projects into the city just as curators, collectors, and journalists arrive for the main exhibition organized under the late artistic director Koyo Kouoh’s framework. (labiennale.org) (nationaltoday.com) The wider Biennale is also opening under a dispute over prizes. The Biennale named its international jury on April 22, and multiple outlets reported on April 23 and 24 that the jury would not consider Israel and Russia for awards. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com) (news.artnet.com) La Biennale said the jury acts with “full autonomy and independence,” according to reporting on the dispute. Against that backdrop, artist-led shows and performances are adding another set of destinations around Venice before the awards are handed out on May 9. (artnews.com) (labiennale.org)