Biennale Jury Named

La Biennale di Venezia has named the five people who will decide the top prizes at the 2026 Venice Biennale. (labiennale.org) The jury will be led by Solange Oliveira Farkas and includes Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, Giovanna Zapperi, and Zoe Butt. La Biennale announced the lineup on April 22, 2026. (labiennale.org) Their decisions will be announced at the Awards Ceremony in Venice on Saturday, May 9, 2026, the same day the 61st International Art Exhibition opens to the public after a three-day preview from May 6 to May 8. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) At the Venice Biennale, the international jury sets the prize map for the exhibition by selecting the Golden Lions, Silver Lion, and other official awards tied to the main show and national participations. Those prizes often shape which artists, pavilions, and curators dominate preview-week attention. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com) This year’s edition is the 61st International Art Exhibition and carries the title *In Minor Keys*. La Biennale says it will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and other sites across Venice. (labiennale.org) The exhibition was conceived by Koyo Kouoh, whose title and curatorial framework were announced in February. La Biennale has said it will carry out the exhibition with the support of Kouoh’s family. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) ARTnews reported that Farkas founded the Videobrasil Biennial in São Paulo in 1983 and served as its artistic director until 2004. The same report identified Dyangani Ose, Kuzma, Zapperi, and Butt as the other four jurors chosen for 2026. (artnews.com) The jury announcement locks in one of the last major pieces of the Biennale’s opening-week structure before critics, curators, collectors, and artists arrive in Venice in early May. By May 9, the people judging the field will be in place, and so will the timetable for the first major awards of the exhibition. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2)