Mardi Gras Indian in Venice

Demond Melancon, a New Orleans Big Chief known for hand-sewn beadwork, will become the first Black Masking Indian included in the Venice Biennale’s main 2026 exhibition. (nola.com) The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. The show is titled *In Minor Keys* and is being carried out under the late curator Koyo Kouoh’s exhibition plan. (labiennale.org) Melancon’s own website says he was invited to that exhibition by Kouoh. New Orleans tourism officials said in March that he and Dawn DeDeaux were the only artists from the American Gulf South selected for the 2026 edition. (demondmelancon.com, myneworleans.com) Melancon is Big Chief of the Young Seminole Hunters and builds the large feathered and beaded suits worn in New Orleans’ Black Masking tradition. The city’s official Mardi Gras history site says masking means designing and creating a new costume each year. (neworleans.com, mardigrasneworleans.com) That tradition reaches back to the 1800s in New Orleans. Local tourism and recent national coverage both describe Black Masking Indians as a culture rooted in Black New Orleans that honors Native American aid to enslaved people and their descendants. (neworleans.com, cbsnews.com) Melancon began masking in 1992, according to a New Orleans profile published last month. That same profile said he works solely with a needle and thread to sew glass beads onto canvas. (neworleans.com) His work has been moving into museums and galleries before Venice. His press page lists 2025 and 2026 coverage tied to shows in Philadelphia, fashion collaborations with Denim Tears and Levi’s, and reports from outlets including *The New York Times*, *Artforum* and *Artnet*. (demondmelancon.com) National coverage this month showed how labor-intensive the practice is. CBS News reported that Black Masking suits can take most of a year to make, and local Mardi Gras materials estimates say a single suit can require thousands of dollars in beads, velvet, rhinestones and feathers. (cbsnews.com, mardigrasneworleans.com) The Venice invitation puts a form usually seen on Mardi Gras Day, Saint Joseph’s Night and Super Sunday into one of the art world’s biggest recurring exhibitions. For Melancon, the route to Venice still starts with the same materials: canvas, glass beads, feathers, a needle and thread. (neworleans.com, demondmelancon.com)