The Venice Art Biennale has opened its doors. Here are the things you can't miss

The Venice Art Biennale is 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 Art Biennale and collateral exhibitions take place concurrently around the city, from 9 May to 22 November 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 that 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 of your visit to Venice.

Where to stay: The St Regis, Venice

There is, indisputably, nowhere more magical to stay in Venice than the St. Regis. A stroll away from tourist hotspot Piazza San Marco, it's a truly indulgent haven with panoramic views, gorgeous food - particularly at Gio's Restaurant, with a terrace overlooking the Grand Canal - and service which is second to none.

Now, a contemporary art project also makes it a natural stop when in town for the Biennale. Komorebi - named after the Japanese word for the way sunlight filters through the leaves - unites six artists, whose work will be exhibited at the hotel until April 2027. The work of Nina Carini, Gaia De Megni, Marco De Sanctis, Joan Jonas, Jure Kastelic and Marinella Senatore is displayed alongside bespoke Murano glass pieces from the Berengo Studio throughout public spaces, in a celebration of the essential nature of art in the city.

Curator Marta Cereda worked closely with St Regis, in collaboration with Artelier Art Consultancy, on the project, with each work considering and uniting themes of space, light and perception. From Marco De Sanctis' epic, living bronzes, to Joan Jonas' intimate drawings and Gaia De Megni's impactful photography, works run the spectrum of medium and theme. A focus on materiality, particularly in Nina Carina's glass and aluminium works, Jure Kastelic's gorgeously-rendered paintings and Marinella Senatore's neon, lends an evocative edge.

'In Komorebi, light operates as a condition that alters perception,' says curator Marta Cereda. 'Each work introduces a moment of suspension in which space, matter and image are continuously reconfigured, in direct dialogue with the layered architecture of The St. Regis Venice.'

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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

Chiara Camoni for the Italian Pavilion, curated by Cecilia Canziani

How do we move through the world? It is a question considered by artist Chiara Camoni at the Italian Pavillion, who explores the forms of life and transformation in a moving show. It is a natural project for main sponsor Zegna, who draw on a historical precedent of supporting arts and culture with this latest initiative. 'With Chiara Camoni, we share a dialogue that has lasted for more than ten years,' says Gildo Zegna, executive chairman of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group. 'Her work reflects this attention to material, landscape, and evolving tradition. Seeing her today, together with Cecilia Canziani, at the Italian Pavilion represents an important recognition of their journey and the coherence of their research - one we are proud to support.'

Hernan Bas at Ca’ Pesaro – 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 Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arte, 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 British Council 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 9 May through 22 November 2026