61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – In Minor Keys
61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia “In Minor Keys” curated by Koyo Kouoh will run from Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 at the Giardini, the Arsenale and in various locations around Venice.
The Exhibition unfolds in the wake of the passing of Koyo Kouoh on 10 May 2025. With the agreement and support of her family, La Biennale di Venezia has confirmed that the 61st International Art Exhibition will proceed in alignment with the curatorial vision Kouoh developed over the course of her appointment. The Exhibition is presented as an act of continuity, carrying forward the intellectual, ethical, and artistic framework she articulated and refined until the final weeks of her work.
Koyo Kouoh accepted the invitation of the President of La Biennale di Venezia, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, on 17 October 2024, to assume the role of Artistic Director of the Visual Arts Department and to curate the 61st International Art Exhibition. Her appointment was approved by the Board of Directors on 5 November 2024 and formally announced on 3 December 2024, following the close of the 60th International Art Exhibition curated by Adriano Pedrosa.
Between autumn 2024 and early May 2025, Kouoh dedicated herself to developing the Exhibition’s conceptual framework, selecting artists and works, shaping its visual and spatial identity, and worked in sustained dialogue with the invited artists, a process that informed both the structure and tone of the project.
In Minor Keys
In Minor Keys is the title chosen by Koyo Kouoh for the 61st International Art Exhibition. The project articulates a curatorial approach grounded in attentiveness to nuance, resonance, and alternative registers of artistic expression. In the curatorial text transmitted to the President of La Biennale di Venezia on 8 April 2025, Kouoh outlined the philosophical foundations guiding her vision, framing the Exhibition as an invitation to engage with subtle.
The 61st International Art Exhibition is produced by La Biennale di Venezia with the participation of the curatorial team assembled by Koyo Kouoh. The team includes advisors Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Hélène Pereira, and Rasha Salti; Siddhartha Mitter as Editor-in-Chief of the Exhibition catalogue; and Rory Tsapayi as Assistant Curator.
La Biennale di Venezia also marks the beginning of a new partnership with Bvlgari, which will serve as Exclusive Partner of the International Art Exhibition for three consecutive editions (2026, 2028, 2030).
The Main Sponsor of Biennale Arte 2026 is illycaffè, with Vela – Venezia Unica as Sponsor.
Cover Image: Courtesy of la Biennale di Venezia