Venice Biennale preview
The Venice Biennale’s French Pavilion, led by Yto Barrada, opens May 9 and runs through Nov. 22 — the Armenian Pavilion will feature a solo project by Zadik Zadikian. ( ) Organizers cataloged 31 official collateral events for 2026, making this edition one of the most expansive in recent memory. (veniceinsiderguide.com)
Yto Barrada’s French Pavilion is presented under the title “Comme Saturne” and is curated by Myriam Ben Salah, director and chief curator of the Renaissance Society in Chicago. (institutfrancais.com) The pavilion’s plan centers textiles as a “language of time, memory and metamorphosis,” employing the dévoré textile finishing technique, a goatskin kite at the threshold, and staged rooms including a Salle des Plis and a Salle du dévoré. (institutfrancais.com) Armenia’s national presentation is organized as The Studio, co-curated by Tony Shafrazi and Tina Chakarian and commissioned by Svetlana Sahakyan, sited across two locations within Venice’s Arsenale Militare. (armenianpavilion2026.org) The Armenian pavilion materials describe a functioning atelier in which Zadik Zadikian, his son Aram and studio assistants will cast, assemble and revise plaster- and brick-based pieces in real time, keeping works movable and changeable throughout the exhibition. (asbarez.com) La Biennale di Venezia’s official roster lists 99 national participations alongside 31 officially recognized collateral events for the 2026 edition. (labiennale.org) Independent guides and roundups note that the 31 collateral events span historic palazzi, private foundations and independent spaces across the city, and that several nations are appearing in new ways this year, including El Salvador’s first pavilion. (veniceinsiderguide.com)
