Holy See goes sonic in Venice

The Vatican’s pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale is being built around listening, with new sound works by Patti Smith, Brian Eno and other artists. (wallpaper.com) The project is titled “The Ear is the Eye of the Soul,” and coverage says it draws on the music and writings of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century abbess, composer and mystic. (theartnewspaper.com) The lineup extends beyond Smith and Eno. Reports say the Holy See commissioned 24 participants, including FKA Twigs, Devonté Hynes, Jim Jarmusch, Precious Okoyomon and Otobong Nkanga. (artsy.net, wallpaper.com) The pavilion will unfold across two Venice sites: the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites in Cannaregio and the Complesso di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice in Castello. Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers are curating the project with Soundwalk Collective. (artsy.net, finestresullarte.info) The shift is notable because national pavilions at the Biennale are usually anchored in objects, images or architecture that visitors move past. The Holy See presentation is being described instead as a meditative, immersive environment organized through time, voice and sound. (hubemag.com, wallpaper.com) That approach also fits the wider 2026 exhibition, “In Minor Keys,” which La Biennale says will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with previews on May 6, 7 and 8. The official site says the show will take place at the Giardini, the Arsenale and other locations across Venice. (labiennale.org) The Biennale’s 2026 edition is proceeding with the title and framework set by curator Koyo Kouoh. La Biennale said it would carry out the exhibition with the full support of Kouoh’s family. (labiennale.org) The Holy See has used the Biennale before to stage exhibitions inside working religious spaces, rather than only in the main pavilion grounds. This year’s plan keeps that pattern, but replaces a conventional art display with commissioned compositions and listening works tied to Hildegard’s legacy. (finestresullarte.info, theartnewspaper.com) When the Biennale opens in May, the Vatican’s contribution will ask visitors to do less looking than usual. It will ask them to stay still long enough to hear it. (hubemag.com, wallpaper.com)