Alma Allen controversy at Giardini

Alma Allen’s Venice Biennale presentation has become a story about both sculpture and process. The Utah-born, Mexico-based artist is representing the United States in the Giardini with “Call Me the Breeze,” a show of biomorphic works in stone, bronze and wood that opened in May. The exhibition itself is official Biennale programming at the United States Pavilion. The controversy around it has centered less on any one object than on how Allen was chosen, who organized the pavilion and how the State Department framed the project. ### Why did Allen’s pavilion become controversial in the first place? The U.S. Pavilion is partly overseen through the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the 2026 selection process drew scrutiny before Allen’s show opened. The Art Newspaper reported that the first artist selected to represent the United States was dropped before being officially announced, while the eventual announcement of Allen was delayed during the U.S. government shutdown. (sltrib.com) Artnet reported on May 5 that Allen had been on the defensive since accepting the invitation in October because the State Department’s call for proposals said projects should “reflect and promote American values” while not promoting DEI initiatives. Artnet said those terms alarmed some artists, including William Eggleston and Barbara Chase-Riboud, who turned down the offer. (theartnewspaper.com) ### What is actually in “Call Me the Breeze”? The Biennale lists “Call Me the Breeze” as the United States presentation in the Giardini, with Allen as exhibitor, Jeffrey Uslip as curator and Jenni Parido of the American Arts Conservancy as commissioner. The official description says the exhibition uses materials from the Americas and explores “elevation” through Allen’s abstract biomorphic forms. (news.artnet.com) The Salt Lake Tribune’s May 31 report identified two works visible in the installation: “Two sparring bronze figures in foreground,” dated 2024, and “black sheep,” dated 2026. The same report described the broader presentation as sculptures in Mexican onyx and bronze from 2022 to 2026. ### Why are people talking about organizers as much as the art? (labiennale.org) Artnet said “lingering controversy and opaque organizing forces” continued to surround the pavilion even after the exhibition opened. The report described unanswered questions about the show’s organizers and said the exhibition had been assembled over only a few months. (sltrib.com) The official pavilion materials identify the American Arts Conservancy as organizer and commissioner Jenni Parido as the lead institutional figure. The Biennale page separately lists the same team and confirms the venue as the Giardini. ### What have Allen and the curator said about the criticism? Allen told Artnet that the Venice project pushed him into unfamiliar territory. “This is the first time in 30 years that I’ve felt the need to explain myself,” he said, adding, “To some people, everything is political.” Artnet also reported that Allen said he had lived at some remove from U.S. political discourse after moving to Mexico in 2017. (news.artnet.com) (labiennale.org) Jeffrey Uslip, the pavilion’s curator, told The Art Newspaper that the State Department did not determine the exhibition’s curatorial direction. “The State Department’s press release follows the selection; it doesn’t determine the curatorial direction of the exhibition,” he said. He also said, “We had artistic autonomy throughout this process.” (news.artnet.com) ### So is the dispute about the work, the politics or the selection system? The New York Times report carried by the Salt Lake Tribune framed the dispute as a “very American controversy” on the art world’s biggest stage, with federal involvement in the pavilion drawing unusual attention under President Donald Trump’s second administration. That account said concern had already spread in the museum world when the normal application timeline slipped and observers questioned whether there would be a U.S. pavilion at all. (theartnewspaper.com) The result is that Allen’s exhibition is being discussed on two tracks at once: as a sculpture show and as the outcome of an unusually fraught state-backed selection process. That framing is drawn from the reporting by the Tribune, Artnet and The Art Newspaper, all of which tied the reaction to the circumstances of the commission as well as the art on view. (sltrib.com) ### Where can people see the pavilion now? The Biennale says the United States presentation is on view in the Giardini through November 22, 2026. The official page lists seasonal opening hours and names Allen, Uslip and Parido as the principal participants. (labiennale.org) (sltrib.com)