Venice Jury Named

La Biennale di Venezia has named the five-person jury for its 2026 art exhibition, with Brazilian curator Solange Oliveira Farkas serving as president. (labiennale.org) The other jurors are Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, according to the Biennale’s announcement on April 22. ARTnews reported that the panel will decide the Golden Lions for the 61st edition. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com) Farkas founded the Videobrasil Biennial in São Paulo in 1983, while Butt works as a curator, writer, and educator based in Thailand. Dyangani Ose is the artistic director of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, Kuzma teaches at the Yale School of Art, and Zapperi is a professor at the University of Geneva. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com) At Venice, this jury does more than hand out one prize. It selects the Golden Lion for the best national participation, the Golden Lion for a participant in the international exhibition, the Silver Lion, and special mentions, with the awards ceremony set for Saturday, May 9, 2026. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) The timing matters because the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled *In Minor Keys*, opens to the public on May 9 and runs through November 22 at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and other Venice sites. The Biennale has said the pre-opening will run from May 6 to May 8. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) This edition is curated by Koyo Kouoh, whose main exhibition includes 110 invited participants from multiple regions and mixes individual artists, duos, collectives, and artist-led organizations. Visitors move through both the international exhibition and the national pavilions across the Biennale’s main venues. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) National pavilions remain a parallel center of gravity at Venice because countries mount their own shows, often with separate commissioners, curators, and artists. ARTnews has been tracking pavilion announcements for 2026 and noted that some presentations are listed as collateral events rather than official national pavilions, depending on diplomatic ties with Italy. (artnews.com) Politics around the 2026 edition have already surfaced outside the awards process. ARTnews reported earlier that United States participation faced uncertainty during planning as federal arts structures were being cut back, even as other national presentations moved ahead. (artnews.com) The jury announcement closes one of the last major setup steps before preview week begins in May. The next test is public: which artists and pavilions this panel elevates when Venice opens on May 9. (labiennale.org) (labiennale.org)