The Venice Art Biennale is nearly upon us. Here are eight things we are looking forward to so far

The Venice Biennale is nearly upon us, and this time, it’s the turn of the art world to flock to the city’s squares, get lost in the labyrinth walkways and drink endless Aperol spritzes with a side of gossip. The Venice Biennale and collateral exhibitions take place concurrently around the city, from May 9 to November 22, 2026, and are open to all.

It is a big year for the Biennale, which this year marks the 61st International Art Exhibition with a newly-designed central pavilion, which opens its doors following an extensive restoration. For this year’s theme, titled ‘In Minor Keys,’ curator Koyo Kouoh is dialling down on the dramatic moments, choosing to celebrate the small undercurrents which impact daily life, from our moods to our planet. Artists – those in the central pavilion, and those representing their country in the national pavilions – have provided an enthusiastic response.

There is a lot to see at the Giardini and the Arsenale, which house the pavilions, and at satellite events in churches, galleries and museums around the city. The programme, while exciting, can be overwhelming - keep an eye on this frequently-updated guide to make the most out of your Venice visit.

Andreas Angelidakis at the Greek Pavillion

Artist Andreas Angelidakis, who is representing Greece this year, is interested in the distortion of our accepted narratives. His work isn’t easy to define, drawing from the fields of performance, architecture and theory, a mish-mash of influences we expect to see referenced in Venice. His installation in the Greek Pavillion, Escape Room, explores the phenomenon of escaping as a commercial sell through the allegory of Plato’s cave, bringing Plato’s text to life as an immersive, atmospheric space. Through a bathroom selfie, visitors will be drawn into a mirror set to Year Zero, or 1934, the year the Greek and Austrian pavilions began, Hitler and Mussolini met in Venice and the Nazis began to persecute homosexuals.

labiennale.org

Hernan Bas at International Gallery of Modern Art, Venice

Running concurrently to the Biennale, at the International Gallery of Modern Art, Venice, is Hernan Bas's exhibition, The Visitors. Presenting over 30 new artworks by the American artist, work here is sharply observed and often punctuated by moments of humour. There will be a strong narrative throughout, as Bas looks to Venice’s thriving tourism industry to create a world populated by figures hovering, ridiculously, at spots from the Trevi Fountain to Chernobyl.

Held at Ca’ Pesaro – International Gallery of Modern Art, Venice Dom Pérignon Galleries, from 7 May – 30 August 2026

capesaro.visitmuve.it

Barry Ball at Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore

American artist Barry Ball looks at the historicity of his Venetian surroundings through a contemporary lens for his exhibition, The Shape of Time. Encompassing 23 works, the exhibition builds on Ball’s interest in the possibilities inherent in materials, particularly in marble and metal, which will feature here. A series of figurative sculptures, rethinking historical and religious motifs in modern forms, is consistent with Ball’s practice of bringing an avant-garde technicality to the ancient art of sculpture.

Held in Venice, Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, from 9 May to 22 November 2026

abbaziasangiorgio.it

Sanya Kantarovsky at Palazzo Loredan

We’re looking forward to Moscow-born, New York based artist Sanya Kantarovsky’s exhibition, which promises to unite paintings and ceramic works alongside a sculpture made together with a Murano glass studio. The vulnerability in Kantarovsky’s works, which brings a dark and wry humour to his distinctively-rendered figurative style, will be best experienced in the atmospheric surroundings of the beautiful Palazzo Loredan.

Sanya Kantarovsky, Basic Failure, from 6 May – 22 November 2026 at Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere et Arti, Palazzo Loredan, San Marco 2

Lubaina Himid at the British Pavillion

It was a treat to catch up with Lubaina Himid last year, who will be unveiling her commission for the British Pavilion at this year’s Biennale, an exhibition titled Predicting History: Testing Translation. In the Pavillion’s neo-classical architecture, Himid will explore what it takes for a place to become home in large, surreal and boldly-coloured paintings.

labiennale.org/en/art/2026

Fondazione Prada at Ca’ Corner della Regina

At Fondazione Prada, curator Nancy Spector places American artists Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince in conversation through photographs, installations, sculptures and paintings - a move, she says, which isn’t as incongruous as it may first appear. ‘They are both image scavengers. Seeking no prior permission, they dip into the overflowing reservoir of visual culture to take whatever they want and convert it into art by choice alone.What comes into focus through the refracting lens of Jafa’s and Prince’s appropriation-based practices is an unflinching exposé on America.’ We are looking forward to the results.

'Helter Skelter' will be presented at Ca' Corner della Regina, Fondazione Prada's Venice venue, from 9 May - 23 November

Maja Malou Lyse at the Danish Pavilion

Are images powerful enough to affect our fertility, asks the youngest artist to represent the Danish Paviliion, Maja Malou Lyse. Reflecting on the global decline in male fertility, and drawing on scientific resources which point to the benefits of sexual stimuli on sperm mobility, Lyse underlines the jarring benefits and toxicity of pornogaphy. Expect a large-scale video work featuring porn star Nicolette Shea as a laboratory scientist working in a sperm bank in the year 2045.

labiennale.org/en/art/2026

Nalini Malani at the Magazzini del Sale

In a large-scale, multi-medium installation, Nalini Malani considers women and myth with 67 animations and soundscapes. Malani rewrites the Greek myth of Orestes - who avenged his father’s death by murdering his mother and her lover - in a contemporary consideration of today’s culture around accountability and women’s experience of patriarchal violence. The resulting soundscape will make for an immersive, fluid and poignant experience.

'Nalini Malani – Of Woman Born' at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Magazzini del Sale n. 5, from May 9 through November 22, 2026