Sierra Leone's Venice debut

Sierra Leone will appear at the Venice Biennale for the first time in 2026, joining the exhibition’s roster of national pavilions after years outside the event. (labiennale.org) La Biennale di Venezia said on March 4 that Sierra Leone is one of seven countries making a first appearance at the 61st International Art Exhibition. The 2026 edition runs from May 9 to November 22, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) Sierra Leone’s project is titled “Worlds of Today” and is mounted at the Liceo Guggenheim in Dorsoduro. My Art Guides lists it as the country’s first official national pavilion at the biennale. (myartguides.com) (artafricamagazine.org) The pavilion is anchored by four Sierra Leonean artists: Hawa-Jane Bangura, Ayesha Feisal, Hickmatu Bintu Leigh and Abu Bakarr Mansaray. Art Africa Magazine reported that the exhibition also places their work in dialogue with artists from the Economic Community of West African States and other international practitioners. (artafricamagazine.org) That structure places Sierra Leone inside a biennale that is unusually broad in 2026. La Biennale says the show includes 100 national participations and 31 collateral events across Venice. (labiennale.org) The 2026 exhibition is also the first Venice Biennale shaped by the late curator Koyo Kouoh’s final concept, “In Minor Keys.” La Biennale said it is carrying out the exhibition as she conceived it, with her family’s support. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) Art Africa Magazine said Sierra Leone’s pavilion takes that framework literally, describing it as a show built around listening, care, memory and social transformation rather than a display of static objects. The same report said the pavilion includes a dedicated Economic Community of West African States project with artists from countries including Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. (artafricamagazine.org) My Art Guides says the pavilion was commissioned by Fatima Maada Bio and curated by Sandro Orlandi Stagl and Willy Montini. Those names place the debut inside both state representation and a wider curatorial effort to connect Sierra Leonean artists to regional networks. (myartguides.com) When the biennale opens on May 9, Sierra Leone will enter one of the art world’s most visible national stages with a pavilion that ties its first appearance to West African collaboration as much as to national debut. (labiennale.org) (artafricamagazine.org)