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Venice Biennale

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Quiet please: Patti Smith and the Holy See pavilion at Venice

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Art

Naked bell ringers to drone carpets: Venice Biennale 2026 highlights

From a naked performer acting as a giant bell ringer to drone-powered flying carpets suspended inside a church, take a look at some of the most talked-about works at this year's Venice Art Biennale.

Italy

Qatar debuts immersive pavilion at Venice Biennale

Led by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, the project brings together artists, musicians and chefs from across the Arab world.

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Venice Biennale performances confront war and climate fears

Artists at the Venice Biennale used striking performances and immersive installations to explore themes including war, caregiving and human fragility.

Art

Beyond the Biennale: Must-see satellite exhibitions in Venice

Some shows are already pegged as some of the most highly anticipated art happenings of the year.

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Culture news

Venice Biennale opens with protests against Russia and Israel

For the first time, Biennale workers went on strike on Friday over Russia's and Israel's presence at the kermesse, with twenty pavilions closed on the eve of the public opening.

Art

The 2026 Venice Art Biennale is all about the slow and sensory

After Koyo Kouoh’s untimely death in May 2025, the Cameroonian-Swiss curator’s concept for the Biennale is now being realised by her team.

Art

'Blood is Russia's art': Protests mark start of Venice Biennale

The Russian punk rockers Pussy Riot and Ukraine feminist group FEMEN have joined forces to protest at Russia's participation at the Venice Biennale, the world's oldest international art exhibition.

Art

French artist JR presents Venice Venice Hotel for new social project

JR’s latest project celebrates real and complicated contemporary human lives, while seeking to forge new social connections.

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Italy: Femen and Pussy Riot protest Russia’s return to Venice Biennale

The 2026 Venice Biennale opened press previews on Wednesday with protests outside the Russian pavilion, marking Moscow’s return since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Culture news

Iran pulls out of Venice Biennale amid high tensions in Middle East

The Islamic Republic of Iran has withdrawn from the 2026 Venice Biennale just days before the opening exhibition as fears remain high of renewed conflict in the Middle East.

Culture news

Venice Biennale jury resigns as Italy opposes Russia's participation

The Italian government has opposed the Biennale's decision to allow Russia to participate in the international exhibition.

Culture news

Italian Culture Minister shuns Venice Biennale due to Russian pavilion

Moscow has not participated in the Biennale since 2022. This year, it received the approval of the president of the Biennale Foundation, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. The decision caused tensions within the Italian government and Brussels.

Culture news

EU threatens to cut funding over Russian pavilion at Venice Biennale

In a letter addressed to the president of the Venice Biennale, the European Commission has threatened to freeze €2 million to the cultural institution in response to the reopening of the Russian pavilion.

Culture news

MEPs say Russia should not be allowed to join the Venice Biennale

MEPs have urged European Commission leaders to prevent Russia from participating in the Venice Biennale. The move has been backed by Ukraine's foreign policy chief who says "Russia rejects all proposals to end the war and rejects the dialogue that the organizers of the exhibition claim."

Culture news

Russia set to return to Venice Biennale amid fierce criticism

Even if Moscow was never formally banned from the most important contemporary art competition after its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this return - which coincides with a certain 'rehabilitation' of Russian athletes - is raising quite a few eyebrows.

Art

Venice Biennale Aral Sea show set to explore environmental disaster

Once the world’s fourth-largest inland sea, the Aral has lost more than 90% of its volume since the 1960s and is now, largely a desert. At the Venice Biennale, a national pavilion will revisit the environmental disaster through art, folklore and collective memory.