In Minor Keys
| Date | May 9–November 22, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Giardini della Biennale and Venetian Arsenal |
| Location | Venice |
In Minor Keys is the theme for the 61st Venice Biennale. It was selected by Koyo Kouoh, the curator who died at age 57 of liver cancer a year before the Biennale opened.[1][2][3]
Concept
[edit]Kouoh chose her theme to emphasize the subtle registers in which minor keys operate. An excerpt of her curatorial concept read,[4]
These are the cues for an exhibition; an exhibition tuned in to the minor keys; an exhibition that invites listening to the persistent signals of earth and life, connecting to soul frequencies. If, in music, the minor keys are often associated with strangeness, melancholy and sorrow, here their joy, solace, hope, and transcendence manifest as well. In the minor keys, sound and sensation are grounding, they hold the cadences, melodies, and silences of resonant worlds that gather and create together a polyphonous assembly of art, convening and communing in convivial collectivity, beaming across the void of alienation and the crackle of conflict.
Participants
[edit]The central exhibit invited 111 participants, spanning individual practitioners, collaborative duos, collectives and artist-led organizations.[5] The final exhibit had 110 participants.[2][6][7]
Many of the participating artists have migrant or diasporic backgrounds. About a quarter live in Africa, while more than half the participants are based in Europe and the United States.[8]
Below is the final list of artists in the main exhibit according to the Venice Biennale.[9]
| Name | Years | Birthplace | City of Residence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pio Abad | b. 1983 | Manila, Philippines | London |
| Philip Aguirre y Otegui | b. 1961 | Schoten, Belgium | Antwerp, Belgium |
| Akinbode Akinbiyi | b. 1946 | Oxford, England | Berlin |
| Laurie Anderson | b. 1947 | Chicago, United States | New York City |
| Fabrice Aragno | b. 1970 | Neuchâtel, Switzerland | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| arms ache avid aeon
Nancy Brooks Brody, Joy Episalla, Zoe Leonard, Carrie Yamaoka, fierce pussy, Jo-ey Tang |
1957–2023; b. 1957; b. 1961; b. 1957; founded 1991; b. 1978 | New York City; Bronxville, United States; Liberty, United States; Glen Cove, United States; New York City; Hong Kong | New York City |
| Kader Attia | b. 1970 | Dugny, France | Berlin and Paris |
| Sammy Baloji | b. 1978 | Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Brussels and Lubumbashi |
| Ranti Bam | b. 1982 | Lagos, Nigeria | Paris and Lagos |
| Alvaro Barrington | b. 1983 | Caracas, Venezuela | London |
| Éric Baudelaire | b. 1973 | Salt Lake City, United States | Paris |
| Sabian Baumann | b. 1962 | Zug, Switzerland | Zurich |
| blaxTARLINES KUMASI | founded 2015 | Kumasi, Ghana | based in Kumasi, Ghana |
| Beverly Buchanan | 1940–2015 | Fuquay, United States | |
| Seyni Awa Camara | 1945–2026 | Oussouy, Senegal | |
| Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons & Kamaal Malak | b. 1959; b. 1962 | Matanzas, Cuba; Philadelphia, United States | live in Nashville, United States |
| Nick Cave | b. 1959 | Chicago, United States | Chicago |
| Carolina Caycedo | b. 1978 | London, England | Los Angeles and Caguas, Puerto Rico |
| Annalee Davis | b. 1963 | St. Michael, Barbados | St. George, Barbados |
| BuBu de la Madeleine | b. 1961 | Osaka, Japan | Nara, Japan |
| Dawn DeDeaux | b. 1952 | New Orleans, United States | New Orleans |
| Nolan Oswald Dennis | b. 1988 | Lusaka, Zambia | Johannesburg |
| Denniston Hill | founded 2008 | Glen Wild, United States | based in Glen Wild, United States |
| Bonnie Devine | b. 1952 | Toronto, Canada | Toronto |
| Godfried Donkor | b. 1964 | Accra, Ghana | London and Accra |
| Marcel Duchamp | 1887–1968 | Blainville-Crevon, France | |
| Edouard Duval-Carrié | b. 1954 | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | Miami |
| Torkwase Dyson | b. 1973 | Chicago, United States | Beacon, United States |
| rana elnemr | b. 1974 | Hannover, Germany | Cairo |
| Theo Eshetu | b. 1958 | London, England | Berlin and Rome |
| Rachel Fallon with Alice Maher | b. 1971; b. 1956 | Dublin, Ireland; Tipperary, Ireland | Dublin; County Mayo, Ireland |
| G.A.S. Foundation | founded 2019 | Lagos and Ikiṣẹ, Nigeria | based in Lagos and Ikiṣẹ, Nigeria |
| Sofía Gallisá Muriente | b. 1986 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico |
| Adebunmi Gbadebo | b. 1992 | Livingston, United States | Philadelphia and Newark, United States |
| Leonilda González | 1923–2017 | Minuano, Uruguay | |
| Linda Goode Bryant | b. 1949 | Columbus, United States | New York City |
| Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige | b. 1969; b. 1969 | Beirut, Lebanon; Moussaitbeh, Lebanon | live in Beirut and Paris |
| Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka | b. 1988 | Toronto, Canada | Toronto, New York City, and Japan |
| Ayrson Heráclito | b. 1968 | Macaúbas, Brazil | Salvador, Brazil |
| Clarissa Herbst & Dominique Rust | b. 1959; b. 1960 | Crailsheim, Germany; Basel, Switzerland | live in Zurich |
| Nicholas Hlobo | b. 1975 | Cape Town, South Africa | Johannesburg |
| Carsten Höller | b. 1961 | Brussels, Belgium | Stockholm, Biriwa, and Tuscany |
| Sohrab Hura | b. 1981 | Chinsurah, India | New Delhi |
| Alfredo Jaar | b. 1965 | Santiago, Chile | Lisbon |
| Mohammed Joha | b. 1978 | Gaza, Palestine | Marseille |
| Michael Joo | b. 1966 | Ithaca, United States | New York City |
| Nina Katchadourian | b. 1968 | Stanford, United States | New York City and Berlin |
| Sandra Knecht | b. 1968 | Buus, Switzerland | Buus, Switzerland |
| Marcia Kure | b. 1970 | Kano State, Nigeria | Princeton, Abuja, and Kaduna |
| Natalia Lassalle-Morillo with Gloria Morillo | b. 1991 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | San Juan |
| Florence Lazar | b. 1966 | Paris, France | Paris |
| Dan Lie | b. 1988 | Berlin | |
| Werewere Liking | b. 1950 | Mgombas, Cameroon | Abidjan |
| lugar a dudas | founded 2004 | Cali, Colombia | based in Cali, Colombia |
| Daniel Lind-Ramos | b. 1953 | Loiza, Puerto Rico | Loiza |
| Senzeni Marasela | b. 1977 | Thokoza, South Africa | Johannesburg |
| Guadalupe Maravilla | b. 1976 | San Salvador, El Salvador | New York City |
| Manuel Mathieu | b. 1986 | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | Montreal and Paris |
| Georgina Maxim | b. 1980 | Harare, Zimbabwe | Harare and Mutare |
| Tiona Nekkia McClodden | b. 1981 | Blytheville, United States | Philadelphia |
| Big Chief Demond Melancon | b. 1978 | New Orleans, United States | New Orleans |
| Avi Mograbi | b. 1956 | Tel Aviv | Lisbon |
| Wangechi Mutu | b. 1972 | Nairobi, Kenya | New York City and Nairobi |
| Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute | founded 2020 | Nairobi, Kenya | based in Nairobi |
| Eustaquio Neves | b. 1955 | Juatuba, Brazil | Diamantina, Brazil |
| Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn | b. 1976 | Sài Gòn, Vietnam | Hội An and works in Hồ Chí Minh City |
| Tammy Nguyen | b. 1984 | San Francisco, United States | Easton, United States |
| Otobong Nkanga | b. 1974 | Kano, Nigeria | Antwerp and Uyo |
| Kaloki Nyamai | b. 1985 | Nairobi, Kenya | Nairobi |
| Temitayo Ogunbiyi | b. 1984 | Rochester, United States | Lagos |
| Pauline Oliveros | 1932–2016 | Houston, United States | |
| Kambui Olujimi | b. 1976 | Brooklyn, United States | New York City |
| Hagar Ophir | b. 1983 | Jerusalem | Berlin |
| Uriel Orlow | b. 1973 | Zurich, Switzerland | Lisbon and London |
| Ebony G. Patterson | b. 1981 | Kingston, Jamaica | Kingston and Chicago |
| Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos | b. 1985; b. 1981 | Colombo, Sri Lanka; Manila, Philippines | Toronto; Calgary |
| Thania Petersen | b. 1980 | Cape Town, South Africa | Cape Town |
| Alan Phelan | b. 1968 | Dublin, Ireland | Dublin |
| Johannes Phokela | b. 1966 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Johannesburg |
| Léonard Pongo | b. 1988 | Liège, Belgium | Brussels and Kinshasa |
| Walid Raad | b. 1967 | Chbanieh, Lebanon | Medusa, United States |
| Mohammed Z. Rahman | b. 1997 | London, England | London |
| RAW Material Company | founded 2008 | Dakar, Senegal | based in Dakar |
| Tabita Rezaire | b. 1989 | Paris, France | Cayenne, French Guiana |
| Guadalupe Rosales | b. 1980 | Redwood City, United States | Los Angeles |
| Yo-E Ryou | b. 1987 | Seoul, South Korea | Seoul and Jeju Island |
| Khaled Sabsabi | b. 1965 | Tripoli, Lebanon | Sydney |
| Rose Salane | b. 1992 | New York City, United States | New York City |
| Issa Samb | 1945–2017 | Dakar, Senegal | |
| Amina Saoudi Aït Khay | b. 1955 | Casablanca, Morocco | Sousse, Tunisia |
| Carrie Schneider | b. 1979 | Chicago, United States | New York City |
| Hala Schoukair | b. 1957 | Beirut, Lebanon | Beirut |
| Berni Searle | b. 1964 | Cape Town, South Africa | Cape Town |
| Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi | b. 1943 | Marapyane, South Africa | Johannesburg |
| Wardha Shabbir | b. 1987 | Lahore, Pakistan | Lahore |
| Yoshiko Shimada | b. 1959 | Tokyo, Japan | Chiba, Japan |
| Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser | b. 1987; b. 1985 | New Delhi, India; Bonn, Germany | live in London and New Delhi |
| Buhlebezwe Siwani | b. 1987 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Amsterdam and Cape Town |
| Cauleen Smith | b. 1967 | Riverside, United States | Los Angeles |
| Vera Tamari | b. 1944 | Jerusalem, Palestine | Ramallah, Palestine |
| Tsai Ming-liang | b. 1957 | Kuching, Malaysia | New Taipei City and Taipei |
| Victoria-Idongesit Udondian | b. 1982 | Uyo, Nigeria | Lagos and New York City |
| Celia Vásquez Yui | b. 1960 | Pucallpa, Peru | the Peruvian Amazon and Pucallpa |
| Kemang Wa Lehulere | b. 1984 | Cape Town, South Africa | Cape Town |
| Kennedy Yanko | b. 1988 | St. Louis, United States | Miami |
| Raed Yassin | b. 1979 | Beirut, Lebanon | Beirut and Berlin |
| Sawangwongse Yawnghwe | b. 1971 | Shan State, Burma | Zutphen and Chiang Mai |
| Billie Zangewa | b. 1973 | Blantyre, Malawi | Johannesburg |
Collaborators
[edit]Before her death, Kouoh developed a theoretical framework for the exhibition, and had selected artists, as well as curatorial collaborators.[8] These included Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo of Britain, Marie Hélène Pereira of Senegal and Rasha Salti, who is based in Berlin and Beirut. In addition, she asked her assistant, Rory Tsapayi of Cape Town, to join as a researcher, as well as the journalist Siddhartha Mitter of New York to be editor in chief.[2][10]
Reception
[edit]Domus, the influential Italian art magazine, described the show as “more sensorial than didactic, more relational than interpretative, one that relies on empathy, presence, and attentive listening.’ [11]
References
[edit]- ^ Mzezewa, Tariro (2026-05-05). "A Forum for African Voices Draws Inspiration From a Former Champion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ^ a b c Marshall, Alex (2026-04-29). "A Curator Died Suddenly. Could the Art World's Most Important Event Be Saved?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ^ Small, Zachary (2026-05-05). "The Venice Biennale and Its Many Flashpoints: An Explainer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ^ "In Minor Keys and legacies held in common In Minor Keys and legacies held in common". Sleek Magazine. 2026-04-25. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ^ AFRICA, ART (2026-02-26). "Biennale Arte 2026: 111 Artists Announced for 'In Minor Keys' Curated by Koyo Kouoh - ART AFRICA Magazine". Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ^ Luke, Ben (2026-05-05). "In Minor Keys: how Venice's international exhibition was brought to life after the death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ^ "Biennale Arte 2026 | Biennale Arte 2026: the invited artists". La Biennale di Venezia. 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ^ a b Ray, Debika (April 29, 2026). "'I wanted to make her proud': Venice Biennale artists on realising the late Koyo Kouoh's vision". The Financial Times.
- ^ "Biennale Arte 2026 | Biennale Arte 2026: the invited artists". La Biennale di Venezia. 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ^ "Biennale Arte 2026 | Biennale Arte 2026: In Minor Keys". La Biennale di Venezia. 2026-02-25. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ^ "Curator Kouoh has passed, but the 2026 Venice Biennale will still follow her vision". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 2026-05-06.