Venice Biennale preview

Venice’s 2026 art season comes into focus on May 9, when the 61st International Art Exhibition opens under the title *In Minor Keys*. (labiennale.org) La Biennale di Venezia says the exhibition will run from Saturday, May 9, to Sunday, November 22, 2026, with pre-opening days on May 6, 7 and 8 and the awards ceremony on opening day. The main venues are the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites across Venice. (labiennale.org) The central exhibition is proceeding under the curatorial vision of Koyo Kouoh, whose title and framework were announced by La Biennale after her death in 2025. In February, organizers said the show would include 111 invited participants. (labiennale.org) That matters because Venice works on two tracks at once: a curator-led international exhibition and dozens of national pavilions that use the same opening week to introduce artists, themes and cultural priorities. The May preview days are when curators, collectors, museum directors and press see both systems collide in one city. (labiennale.org) This year’s early announcements show how quickly countries are using that window. Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and New Orleans-linked artists in the main exhibition have all released projects weeks before the public opening. (e-flux.com) (nationalpavilionuae.org) (labiennale.org) Lebanon’s pavilion will present *Don’t Get Me Wrong*, an exhibition by Nabil Nahas curated by Nada Ghandour. E-flux says the project is part of the 61st International Art Exhibition and will be staged in the Arsenale area. (e-flux.com) Reporting ahead of the opening has described the Lebanese project as a monumental installation nearly 45 meters long and made up of 26 canvases. That scale gives Lebanon one of the more visibly architectural presentations announced so far. (lorientlejour.com) The United Arab Emirates will present *Washwasha*, a group exhibition curated by Bana Kattan with assistant curator Tala Nassar. The National Pavilion UAE says the show brings together Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash and Taus Makhacheva. (nationalpavilionuae.org) The pavilion describes *Washwasha* as a project about sound in the United Arab Emirates, shaped by migration, transience and long-term ties to place. The National said the Arabic title refers to whispering and framed the exhibition as an invitation to listen closely. (thenationalnews.com) Another strand of the preview is coming through the main exhibition rather than a national pavilion. La Biennale’s invited-artist list includes Big Chief Demond Melancon of New Orleans, a master beadworker and Mardi Gras Indian suit-maker. (labiennale.org) (demondmelancon.com) Melancon’s inclusion brings Black Masking Indian craftsmanship into Venice’s international exhibition, not just its parallel events. New Orleans news outlets said he and Dawn DeDeaux are the first two New Orleans artists invited to the International Art Exhibition since 2015. (nolanewswire.com) The run-up has not been frictionless. An open letter published by e-flux last week said artists and curators in the 2026 exhibition had asked La Biennale to revoke Israel’s participation, while La Biennale had stated a position of neutrality. (e-flux.com) By the time Venice opens on May 9, the outline is already clear: Kouoh’s posthumous exhibition will anchor the season, and the first projects on the board are leaning on painting, sound and ceremonial craft to claim attention early. (labiennale.org)