Venice Biennale 61st draws controversy

The 61st Venice International Art Exhibition opened to the public on May 9 and runs through November 22 across the Giardini, Arsenale, sites around Venice and Forte Marghera, La Biennale di Venezia says. The 2026 edition, titled “In Minor Keys,” was carried forward from the curatorial vision of Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroon-born curator who died in May 2025, according to the Biennale. In the first two weeks of reviews, critics have described the show in markedly confrontational terms. The Week said on May 23 that “controversial” and “confrontational” works were drawing attention, while Ocula wrote on May 22 that irreverent, wacky and witty art was often what drew crowds. ### Why has this year’s Venice Biennale become so contentious? The 61st edition arrived under political and institutional strain before many visitors had finished the main exhibition. Juliet Art Magazine wrote on May 22 that the opening “went unnoticed” by no one, citing controversy around the invited-artist list and debate over the exhibition’s geographic focus under Kouoh’s plan. Deutsche Welle reported earlier this month that nearly 200 artists, curators and workers signed a letter organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance calling for Israel to be banned from the event, while Iran announced on May 4 that it was withdrawing. (labiennale.org) The Art Newspaper reported on May 8 that a strike action linked to the Art Not Genocide Alliance led more than 15 pavilions to close temporarily or partially. The Telegraph separately described boycotts, pro-Palestinian protests and a mass jury resignation as part of the atmosphere around this year’s show. ### What are critics actually seeing inside the exhibition? (juliet-artmagazine.com) The Week framed the Biennale as a test of how far contemporary art can push provocation at what it called the world’s most prestigious international exhibition. Its roundup highlighted works that it said confronted viewers directly, rather than offering a neutral survey of global practice. Ocula, in a Venice diary published May 22, said politics and grief were central to the biennale, but added that irreverent works — including pieces marked by hysteria, provocation and absurdity — were often the ones commanding attention in the galleries. (theartnewspaper.com) The official exhibition itself is structured differently from a conventional blockbuster survey. La Biennale says “In Minor Keys” was conceived as a “visual and meditative procession” inviting viewers to move across connected sensory and intellectual worlds, a description that sits alongside the more combative reception in reviews. That contrast — between the institution’s framing and the critics’ language — helps explain why coverage has focused as much on mood and friction as on individual objects. (theweek.com) ### Which parts of Venice are drawing the most attention? National pavilions have become one of the main pressure points in the early response. Juliet Art Magazine singled them out as a central talking point of the opening week, and Artnews has published a running guide to both national pavilions and collateral events for countries without diplomatic ties to Italy. ArtReview has also kept an updated pavilion list as countries continue to announce artists and projects. (labiennale.org) Collateral exhibitions are also shaping the conversation beyond the main show. Vogue Adria reported that Wallace Chan is presenting two Venice exhibitions during the Biennale period — “Vessels of Other Worlds” and “Mythos” — adding to the dense field of off-site presentations that critics and visitors are folding into their assessment of the season. ### How much of this is about art, and how much is about geopolitics? (juliet-artmagazine.com) Koyo Kouoh’s death in May 2025 remains central to the story because the Biennale decided to proceed with her exhibition plan with the support of her family. The Biennial Foundation Association and the official Biennale site both say the 2026 exhibition follows her curatorial concept, making this year’s event both a major international survey and a posthumous realization of a named curator’s project. (news.google.com) At the same time, coverage from Ocula, DW and other outlets shows that viewers are encountering the exhibition through the lens of war, protest and representation. Ocula said politics and grief were “centre stage,” while DW tied the broader dispute to demands over national participation. That means the controversy is not limited to a few provocative artworks; it also extends to who is present, who is absent and who is being asked to explain those choices. (labiennale.org) ### What happens next for visitors trying to make sense of it? The next concrete fact is timing: the exhibition remains open until November 22, 2026, giving critics, curators and the public months more to assess the main show, the pavilions and the collateral program. La Biennale says the principal venues are the Giardini and Arsenale, with additional events spread across Venice and Forte Marghera. Reviews are still arriving, and the official Biennale pages and pavilion guides remain the clearest place to track who is showing where through the rest of the run. (ocula.com) (labiennale.org)