Vatican goes sonic in Venice

The Vatican will stage a sound-led pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, with FKA twigs and Brian Eno among 24 commissioned artists. (theartnewspaper.com) The project is called *The Ear is the Eye of the Soul* and will run during the 61st International Art Exhibition from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The Holy See said the pavilion will unfold across two Venice sites, in Cannaregio and Castello. (theartnewspaper.com; vaticannews.va) Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers are curating the pavilion with Soundwalk Collective, the sound-art group founded in 2001 by Stephan Crasneanscki and Simone Merli. The artist list also includes Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch, Meredith Monk, Precious Okoyomon, Otobong Nkanga and Kali Malone. (vaticannews.va; theartnewspaper.com) The exhibition is built around Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century Benedictine abbess, composer and writer. The Vatican said the new commissions are meant as a “sonic prayer” centered on listening rather than image alone. (theartnewspaper.com; vaticannews.va) At the Giardino Mistico dei Carmelitani Scalzi, visitors will hear works by 20 artists through headphones, alongside a site-specific instrument that “listens” to the garden in real time. A second venue, the Santa Maria Ausiliatrice complex, completes the two-part route. (vaticannews.va; theartnewspaper.com) The announcement lands as the Venice Biennale prepares an edition with 99 national participations and 31 collateral events. The main 2026 exhibition was announced under the title *In Minor Keys* by curator Koyo Kouoh. (labiennale.org) The Holy See has used recent Biennale entries to test how far a national pavilion can act like pastoral outreach as well as an art show. In 2024, it placed its pavilion inside the Giudecca women’s prison, and Pope Francis visited it on April 28, 2024, the first papal visit to the exhibition. (labiennale.org; theartnewspaper.com) This is not the Vatican’s first Biennale appearance, but the format marks a shift. The Holy See first took part with its own pavilion in 2013, and the 2026 edition moves from biblical tableaux and prison-based installation toward a roster led by musicians, poets and sound artists. (cultura.va; labiennale.org; theartnewspaper.com) For Venice in 2026, that means the Vatican is betting that a pavilion can be heard before it is seen. The doors open on May 9. (theartnewspaper.com; labiennale.org)