Biennale favors living artists

The 2026 Venice Biennale’s main exhibition is tilting sharply toward the present: more than 90 percent of the artists in *In Minor Keys* are living. (news.artnet.com) La Biennale di Venezia announced 111 artists for the 61st International Art Exhibition, which opens to the public on May 9, 2026, and runs through November 22 across the Giardini, the Arsenale, and other Venice sites. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com) Artnet’s analysis said the roster also skews toward mid-career artists rather than estates or historical rediscoveries, marking a break from the recent pattern of large archival sections in the main show. (news.artnet.com) That change stands out against the last two editions. Cecilia Alemani’s 2022 Biennale mixed contemporary work with historical surrealist and avant-garde figures, and Adriano Pedrosa’s 2024 edition included a 112-artist “Nucleo Storico” focused on work made between 1905 and 1990. (artnews.com) (labiennale.org) The 2024 exhibition was also much larger: 331 artists and collectives, with the historical section built into the core exhibition. By comparison, the 2026 list is tighter and more concentrated around Kouoh’s final selection. (artnews.com 1) (artnews.com 2) Koyo Kouoh died in May 2025 before the exhibition opened, and the Biennale said it chose to realize the show with the support of her family and the team she had already assembled. The institution said Kouoh had already defined the framework, selected the artists and artworks, and set the exhibition design. (labiennale.org) That team includes Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Hélène Pereira, and Rasha Salti as advisers, Siddhartha Mitter as editor-in-chief, and Rory Tsapayi as research assistant. ARTnews called the 2026 edition the first in the Biennale’s 131-year history to proceed after the death of its curator during preparation. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com) Kouoh’s text for *In Minor Keys* framed the exhibition in quieter terms, rejecting “orchestral bombast” in favor of “lower frequencies,” listening, and improvisation. The artist list that followed suggests that approach is being carried by people still actively shaping their practices, not mainly by posthumous canon-building. (artnews.com) (news.artnet.com) The Biennale also said it will not award a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2026 because Kouoh was unable to finalize the honorees before her death. For a show built from her completed choices, the center of gravity remains the living artists she picked herself. (labiennale.org)