Venice Biennale jury named

La Biennale di Venezia has named the five-member jury for the 61st International Art Exhibition, with Brazilian curator Solange Oliveira Farkas serving as president. (labiennale.org) The other jurors are Chus Martínez, Ona Ayodele, Hassan Khan and Gerardo Mosquera, according to La Biennale’s April 22 announcement. The board approved the panel after a selection by curator Koyo Kouoh. (labiennale.org) Their first public deadline is already fixed: the awards ceremony and inauguration are scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Venice. The exhibition then runs through November 22 at the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites across the city. (labiennale.org) At the Venice Biennale, the international jury decides the official prizes for the central exhibition and national pavilions, including the Golden Lions and Silver Lion. Those awards can shape museum attention, market demand and institutional visibility for artists and countries in the show. (labiennale.org) This year’s edition is titled *In Minor Keys* and was conceived by Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroon-born curator who was appointed in December 2024. La Biennale says the exhibition will include 110 invited participants. (labiennale.org) The broader event is already unusually large. La Biennale has announced 100 national participations and 31 collateral events for 2026, with seven countries taking part for the first time and El Salvador appearing for the first time with its own pavilion. (labiennale.org) Farkas brings one of the strongest institutional resumes on the panel. La Biennale says she founded and leads Associação Cultural Videobrasil and directed the Videobrasil Biennial from 1983 to 2024, after also serving at the Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia from 2007 to 2010. (labiennale.org) The jury announcement lands just over two weeks before the pre-opening on May 6, 7 and 8, when curators, artists and national pavilions begin the ritual of previews before prizes are handed out on opening day. (labiennale.org)