Somalia’s Venice pavilion criticized
Artists have publicly criticized Somalia’s first‑ever participation in the Venice Biennale, objecting to aspects of how the pavilion was planned and represented, according to ARTnews (artnews.com). The coverage frames Somalia’s debut as one of the more closely watched and contested moves in the 2026 Biennale preview cycle (artnews.com).
Somalia’s first national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale is facing criticism from Somali artists before the exhibition opens in May. (artnews.com) ARTnews reported on April 14 that the Mogadishu-based Somali Arts Foundation said organizers “neither meaningfully consulted nor included” representatives of Somalia’s art scene. The foundation said the pavilion includes no artists based in Somalia. (artnews.com) The announced artists are Ayan Farah, Asmaa Jama, and Warsan Shire. ARTnews said Farah is based in Stockholm, Jama in Bristol, and Shire in London; Farah and Jama were born in Somalia, while Shire was born in Kenya and is of Somali descent. (artnews.com) The pavilion is titled “SADDEXLEEY,” a reference to a Somali poetic form, and official pavilion materials say it will open at Palazzo Caboto in Venice from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The same materials list Mohamed Mire and Fabio Scrivanti as curators and Abdirahman Yusuf Mohamud as commissioner. (somaliapavilion.so, myartguides.com) La Biennale di Venezia says the 61st International Art Exhibition will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7, and 8. It also says there will be 100 national participations in this edition. (labiennale.org) That timing has put extra attention on national pavilions, which are the Biennale’s country-by-country exhibitions. Somalia’s entry is a first for the country on that stage, and pavilion listings in March and April had presented it as a new national debut. (theartnewspaper.com, somaliapavilion.so) In its statement, the Somali Arts Foundation said artists and organizers inside Somalia rebuilt the country’s art sector under “extraordinarily difficult conditions” and with little government support. The statement was signed by nine Somalia-based artists, including Bushra Mohamed, Shamso Mohamed Jeylaani, and Ifraax Aden, ARTnews reported. (artnews.com) ARTnews also reported that one artist said she had declined an invitation from Mire to join the pavilion. The publication said the pavilion’s organizers did not immediately respond to its request for comment. (artnews.com) Official pavilion texts describe “SADDEXLEEY” as a three-part exhibition built around poetry, memory, sound, and material practice. Those texts present the show as a Somali national platform, while the critics’ statement argues the project was assembled without the participation of artists working inside Somalia. (somaliapavilion.so, artnews.com) The dispute has turned Somalia’s Biennale debut into a fight over who gets to represent a country in one of contemporary art’s most visible forums. That question is likely to remain in view when the Venice previews begin on May 6. (artnews.com, labiennale.org)
