Will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with general opening hours from 11:00 to 19:00 until September, and 10:00 to 18:00 from October onward. The exhibition is curated by Koyo Kouoh, founder of RAW Material Company in Dakar, known for her decolonial, feminist and pan-African approach. The main international exhibition will feature 331 artists, complemented by 86 national pavilions, including 4 first-time participants (Benin, Ethiopia, Timor Leste and Tanzania), and new autonomous presences from Panama and Senegal. Among the curator’s special projects, highlights include Beatriz Milhazes (in collaboration with the Victoria & Albert Museum) and Nedda Guidi at Forte Marghera. There will also be 30 official collateral events scattered across Venice. Looking back, in the 2024 edition, the Golden Lion for Best National Participation went to Australia, the Golden Lion for Best Participant to Mataaho Collective, and the Lifetime Achievement Awards to Anna Maria Maiolino and Nil Yalter. Karimah Ashadu received the Silver Lion for most promising young artist. As always, the Biennale will unfold across the Giardini, Arsenale, and Venetian palazzos, reaffirming its structure as both official exhibition and citywide constellation. This 2026 edition is expected to be one of the most geopolitically charged and culturally diverse, reflecting global tensions, with a strong emphasis on the Global South, art as political critique, and a broader redefinition of contemporary canons.
