Vatican goes sonic in Venice
The Holy See pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale will be sound‑led and features commissioned works from artists including Patti Smith and Brian Eno, aiming to explore nearly a millennium of sonic possibilities through listening‑focused installations. (Wallpaper reported the Vatican’s music‑heavy pavilion and named Patti Smith and Brian Eno among participants.) (wallpaper.com) (Hube magazine describes the presentation as an immersive, listening‑centered pavilion.) (hubemag.com)
The Vatican’s pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale is being built around sound, with new works by Patti Smith, Brian Eno and other artists instead of a conventional image-led show. (wallpaper.com) The project is titled *The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul* and will open during the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with previews on May 6, 7 and 8. (labiennale.org) (artsy.net) Reports on the pavilion say it will include 24 newly commissioned contributions from artists, musicians, poets, architects and filmmakers, with participants including Patti Smith, Brian Eno, FKA twigs, Dev Hynes, Jim Jarmusch, Otobong Nkanga and Precious Okoyomon. (artsy.net) (theartnewspaper.com) The exhibition is framed around Saint Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century abbess, writer, healer and composer who lived from 1098 to 1179. Multiple reports say the pavilion is using her legacy to connect medieval sacred music with contemporary sound art. (theartnewspaper.com) (finestresullarte.info) That emphasis fits the larger shape of Biennale Arte 2026. La Biennale says the main exhibition, *In Minor Keys*, was conceived by the late curator Koyo Kouoh and will go forward with her family’s support. (labiennale.org) The Holy See’s presentation is also unusually spread out. Coverage says it will unfold across two Venice sites: the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites in Cannaregio and the Complesso di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice in Castello. (artsy.net) (usaartnews.com) Art coverage has described the pavilion as “listening-centered” and immersive rather than spectacle-driven, with sound treated as the main medium and attention itself treated as part of the work. (hubemag.com) (wallpaper.com) The Holy See has used the Venice Biennale before to stage contemporary art projects, but this edition pushes further into music, voice and acoustic installation than a typical national pavilion. The effect is to place the Vatican inside one of the art world’s biggest exhibitions with a show built on hearing first. (artnews.com) (theartnewspaper.com) When the Biennale opens in May, one of its most closely watched pavilions may be the one asking visitors to look less and listen longer. (wallpaper.com)
