On February 26, 2026, in the Sala delle Colonne of Ca’ Giustinian, Cristiana Costanzo introduced Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of the Biennale, and the team of Koyo Kouoh during the press conference presenting the 61st International Art Exhibition.
The 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, titled In Minor Keys and curated by Koyo Kouoh, will be open to the public from Saturday, May 9 to Sunday, November 22, 2026, at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and various other locations across the city of Venice.
The pre-opening will take place on May 6, 7, and 8, while the opening ceremony and awards presentation will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
As Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of the Biennale, stated, “This Exhibition is born from an act of fidelity to Koyo Kouoh’s vision and from the Biennale’s desire to preserve and share her thinking, realizing the Exhibition exactly as she conceived it.”
An Exhibition Realized According to the Curator’s Vision
Following the untimely passing of Koyo Kouoh in May 2025, and with the full support of her family, La Biennale di Venezia decided to bring the Exhibition to life exactly according to her plan, aiming to preserve, enhance, and disseminate the work she had developed with dedication in the final months of her life. Appointed Artistic Director of the Visual Arts Sector in November 2024, Kouoh had already fully defined the curatorial project, developing the theoretical text, selecting artists and works, working on the catalog, the visual identity, and the layout of the exhibition spaces, while maintaining constant dialogue with the invited artists.
In Minor Keys: The Title and Concept
The exhibition title, In Minor Keys, comes from the curator’s text sent to the President of the Biennale on April 8, 2025. The project explores subtle connections, shared ideas, and encounters between different artistic practices. It creates a web of relationships that spans geographies, generations, and languages.
The Curatorial Team
The exhibition will be completed by the team Koyo Kouoh selected:
- Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo
- Marie Hélène Pereira
- Rasha Salti – advisor
- Siddhartha Mitter – editor-in-chief
- Rory Tsapayi – research assistant
They will ensure the exhibition reflects Kouoh’s vision fully.
Partners and Sponsors
Bulgari is the exhibition’s exclusive partner. It aims to strengthen the connection between the maison (part of LVMH) and contemporary art. Bulgari will also present an installation by Lotus L. Kang at the Esedra Space in the Giardini.
Other sponsors include:
American Express – Sponsor for the 2026 edition.
Zegna – Main Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion.
illycaffè – Main sponsor of Biennale Arte 2026.
With In Minor Keys, the 61st International Art Exhibition presents itself as an edition deeply marked by Koyo Kouoh’s vision, while simultaneously serving as a gesture of continuity that delivers to the international public a fully realized curatorial project conceived as a space for encounter, listening, and dialogue among artists, works, and cultural contexts.
We will soon have the opportunity to share more detailed insights about the exhibition. Stay tuned for more updates, Alessandra Pozzi.
