Venice Biennale Jury Named

The Venice Biennale has named the five-person jury for its 61st Art Exhibition, with Solange Oliveira Farkas set to preside. (labiennale.org) Farkas will be joined by curator Zoe Butt, museum director Elvira Dyangani Ose, educator Marta Kuzma, and art historian Giovanna Zapperi, according to La Biennale di Venezia’s announcement on April 22. (labiennale.org) The panel will decide the exhibition’s official prizes, including the Golden Lion awards, with the ceremony scheduled for May 9, 2026, in Venice. (labiennale.org) Those prizes are a central part of the Biennale’s opening week, when attention shifts from national pavilion rollouts and curator statements to which artists and countries the jury elevates. (artnews.com) This year’s edition, the 61st International Art Exhibition, is titled *In Minor Keys* and is scheduled to run from May 9 through November 22, 2026, at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and other sites across Venice. (labiennale.org) La Biennale said the board approved the jury on the selection of Koyo Kouoh, the curator of *In Minor Keys*. The organization has also said it will carry out the 2026 exhibition with the support of Kouoh’s family. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) ARTnews identified Farkas as the founder of the Videobrasil Biennial in São Paulo, adding that the 2026 jury brings together figures from curating, museum leadership, higher education, and art history. (artnews.com) The Biennale’s preview days are set for May 6, 7, and 8, with the awards and inauguration on May 9, when the jury’s choices will become one of the first verdicts on the 2026 edition. (labiennale.org)