U.S. pavilion Call Me the Breeze

Alma Allen’s U.S. pavilion presentation at the 61st Venice Biennale sits inside a wider 2026 edition defined by sculpture, immersive installation and live performance. The U.S. show, titled “Call Me the Breeze,” opened with the Biennale on May 9 and runs through Nov. 22 in Venice, according to reporting on the exhibition and Biennale listings. Frieze identified Allen’s pavilion as one of the national presentations in this year’s Giardini lineup, while an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette feature said Allen spoke inside the pavilion earlier this month. The result is a U.S. entry that is being discussed both as an exhibition of objects and as part of the Biennale’s broader live program. ### What exactly is in the U.S. pavilion this year? Frieze reported that “Call Me the Breeze” brings together 24 works made over the past 12 years for the U.S. Pavilion. The exhibition centers on Allen’s abstract, biomorphic sculptures, installed across the pavilion rather than as a single immersive environment, according to the review. (theartnewspaper.com) Artsy, Galerie and other art-world reports published when Allen was selected said the U.S. presentation would consist of roughly 30 sculptures and would be curated by Jeffrey Uslip. Those reports also identified Allen as a Utah-born, Mexico-based sculptor chosen to represent the United States after a delayed selection process. (frieze.com) ### Why was Alma Allen’s selection closely watched? November 24, 2025, was the date the U.S. State Department confirmed Allen as the American representative, according to multiple reports. Artsy said the announcement followed months of uncertainty after an earlier proposal was withdrawn and after the usual National Endowment for the Arts role in the process did not proceed in the normal way. (artsy.net) Frieze’s national pavilions review said the U.S. choice came after a long delay while the State Department overhauled the usual selection process. The review also said Jenni Parido, identified as commissioner of the pavilion, brought in Uslip to find an artist and that Allen was ultimately selected after other artists declined. (artsy.net) ### Where does this fit inside the larger Venice Biennale? Frieze’s coverage of the 61st Venice Biennale described the central exhibition as “In Minor Keys,” tied to the curatorial vision of the late artistic director Koyo Kouoh. In Frieze’s account, that framing emphasized slower looking, listening and lower-key forms of attention rather than spectacle alone. (frieze.com) The same Frieze Venice package also highlighted performance-focused programming around the Biennale. A roundtable published on April 29 brought together Ei Arakawa-Nash, Florentina Holzinger, Dries Verhoeven and Miet Warlop to discuss staging live work in Venice, underscoring how performance and discussion have become part of the event’s public-facing rhythm alongside the national pavilions. (frieze.com) ### What happened at the pavilion this month? The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported on May 24 that Allen spoke inside the U.S. pavilion earlier in May during Biennale-related events in Venice. That appearance placed the artist physically inside the exhibition he is representing, rather than leaving the pavilion to stand only as a static installation. (frieze.com) A YouTube video posted from Venice on May 8 also described itself as a tour of Allen’s “Call Me the Breeze” at the Pavilion of the United States of America, indicating that guided walkthroughs and event-style interpretation were part of the public presentation from the opening week. ### What comes next for visitors following this story? May 9 to Nov. 22, 2026, is the exhibition window for Alma Allen’s U.S. pavilion presentation, according to Biennale-related listings and selection reports. (arkansasonline.com) Visitors tracking Allen’s show can follow it alongside the Biennale’s continuing “In Minor Keys” exhibition and related performance programming in Venice through the close on Nov. 22. (galeriemagazine.com) (youtube.com)