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Venice Biennale 2026: In Search of Authenticity
On May 9, the 61st Venice Biennale opened to the public — one of the most important global events in art and architecture, bringing together 99 participating countries and more than 110 artists across the main exhibition and national pavilions. This year, Israel is once again among the participants, continuing its presence within the international cultural dialogue.
We spoke with independent art curator and founder of ECLECTIC TLV, Ela Cohen, who attended the preview days and shared her impressions, observations, and reflections on this year’s Biennale.
Ela, what stood out to you the most at this year’s Biennale?
At the Venice Biennale 2026, the object comes to the forefront as an independent artistic statement.
Across the exhibition, art, architecture, and object design begin to speak a shared language – a language of material, light, tactility, and emotional presence. It feels like a new way of experiencing space: one that the body senses as strongly as the eye perceives.
How do you experience this while moving through the exhibitions?
Long red threads descending from the ceiling shape the space almost architecturally. Crystals reflect light and subtly shift the mood. The scent of fresh flowers becomes part of the atmosphere and emotional perception of the exhibition. Cracks in ceramics no longer read as flaws — they become traces of time and human presence. Even floor tiles begin to feel like archaeological fragments, layers of memory embedded in space.
Across many pavilions, there is a clear move away from sterile minimalism and digital perfection. Spaces become more open to imperfection. They feel tactile, lived-in, and deeply human.
How is this reflected in the main exhibition at the Arsenale?
The central exhibition at the Arsenale makes this shift especially tangible. The industrial architecture of the former naval complex — brick walls, high ceilings, a certain rawness — becomes the perfect setting for a new kind of work. The pieces here are sensory and material. They are meant to be experienced physically, not just observed.
This year, the object becomes the main protagonist of the Biennale.
The object is no longer just décor.
Furniture is no longer defined by function.
Instead, the object becomes a carrier of memory, emotion, and atmosphere.
Setting side the political context, which pavilions impressed you the most, and why?
The Israeli Pavilion was one of the most powerful experiences for me this year. I came to the Biennale also to support Israeli artists, which made the encounter especially meaningful on a personal level.
The pavilion is built around a quiet but powerful contrast. The passage through security – tension and control – is followed by an unexpected stillness. This shift becomes the central experience, turning the space into a psychological state.
In the Ukrainian Pavilion, light becomes an emotional object. Soft, cloud-like chandeliers transform it from a functional element into a feeling.
In the American Pavilion, the object takes on architectural weight. Abstract sculptural forms create rhythm, pressure, and pauses. The visitor becomes part of the composition, both physically and spatially.
The Azerbaijani Pavilion shows how textile can shape the identity of space. Carpets, ornament, and hand weaving are not references to tradition, but active elements of contemporary architecture. Here, the interior becomes an extension of craft.
The German Pavilion embraces incompleteness. Fragmented chairs, organic materials, and a sense of rupture create an aesthetic in which beauty emerges through fragility and time.
In the Ukrainian Pavilion, light becomes an emotional object. Soft, cloud-like chandeliers transform it from a functional element into a feeling.
The Russian Pavilion works with living flowers as a material of time. Floristry is no longer decorative, it becomes a living system that grows, fades, and transforms within the space.
The Kenyan Pavilion offers a deep reflection on the role of tradition and natural forms in contemporary spatial perception. Ceramic figures, hand-shaped forms, cracks, and raw textures restore a sense of human touch. The object becomes intimate again – a carrier of memory, craft, and presence.
And then, almost unexpectedly, a living seagull nesting among visitors becomes part of the exhibition. It captures something essential: the boundaries between nature, object, interior, and art begin to dissolve.
What is the main idea of this Biennale?
The central idea of the Venice Biennale 2026 is a search for authenticity.
After years of visual perfection, space returns to emotion – to the body, to material, to presence. The Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh in what she calls “minor tonalities,” is not about marginality, but about shifting the center – rethinking the artistic canon through different forms of sensitivity, memory, and collective experience.
What does this mean today for architects and designers?
For architects and designers, this is no longer just a trend. It is a direction.
Materials with memory.
Handmade processes.
Imperfect forms.
Local craft.
Objects that shape atmosphere beyond the visual.
Today, luxury is no longer about perfection.
Luxury is a space where life can be felt.
The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – titled In Minor Keys by Koyo Kouoh – runs from Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 at the Giardini and Arsenale venues, in various locations across Venice and at Forte Marghera.
Ela Cohen, indipendent art curator, founder of ECLECTICTLV
