Venice Biennale: Dates & Pavilions

Venice turns into an art map every two years, and in 2026 that map will stretch from two historic exhibition grounds into churches, warehouses, and palaces across the city from May 9 to November 22, with preview days on May 6, 7, and 8. (labiennale.org) The event is the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, the art edition of an institution founded in 1895 that has grown into one of the world’s biggest stages for contemporary art. (labiennale.org ) This year’s exhibition carries the title “In Minor Keys,” a phrase set by curator Koyo Kouoh before her death, and La Biennale said it would carry out her exhibition with the support of her family. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) At the center is the international exhibition, which will include 111 invited participants drawn from different regions and working as solo artists, duos, collectives, and artist-led organizations. (labiennale.org) Running alongside that main show are the national pavilions, where countries mount their own exhibitions in dedicated spaces or borrowed venues around Venice, and 99 national participations have been announced for 2026. (labiennale.org) That split is what makes Venice different from a normal museum show: one part is shaped by a single curator, while another part is built country by country, each with its own artist, curator, budget, and politics. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) Estonia’s pavilion is already physically on the move, which tells you how early the logistics start in a city where large works have to be shipped by road and then maneuvered through Venice before installation. (news.err.ee) Estonia will be represented by painter Merike Estna with “The House of Leaking Sky,” curated by Natalia Sielewicz, and the pavilion will be covered with 25,000 glazed floor tiles alongside a monumental painting assembled on site from 22 canvases. (cca.ee) (news.err.ee) Türkiye’s pavilion will take a different route inside the Arsenale’s Sale d’Armi Nord, where Nilbar Güreş will present “A Kiss on the Eyes,” curated by Başak Doğa Temür, with an inauguration scheduled for May 6 from 3 to 4 p.m. (e-flux.com) The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, which coordinates the Türkiye Pavilion, says Güreş’s exhibition will bring together newly commissioned works and earlier pieces across sculpture, installation, painting, and mixed-media works on paper and fabric. (iksv.org) (e-flux.com) By the time the public arrives on May 9, Venice will be carrying two shows at once: Koyo Kouoh’s 111-artist exhibition spread across the Giardini, the Arsenale, and city venues, and 99 national pavilions trying to stand out in the same six-month conversation. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2)