Four art biennials to visit in 2026
New York, Sydney, Venice and Gwangju are the main destinations for art biennales in 2026. Starting in March, the events will bring news in the field and curators’ unique visions.
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial has announced 56 artists for its 82nd edition, which will begin March 8, 2026. Organized by Marcela Guerrero, curator of the Whitney Museum, and Drew Sawyer, curator of photography at the Sondra Gilman Gallery, the exhibition will examine “diverse forms of relationality, including interspecies bonds, familial relationships, geopolitical involvements, technological affinities, shared mythologies, and infrastructural supports.”
The selection was made from 300 artists. Many of those chosen have never exhibited in New York before, and some will be surprises even for art professionals.
Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, a duo of Palestinian origin, as well as artist Samia Halaby, are among those selected, along with names such as Kamrooz Aram (Iran/USA), Joshua Citarella (USA) and Sung Tieu (Vietnam/Germany).
Sydney Biennale
The 25th edition of the Sydney Biennale takes place next year from March 14 to June 14, with the theme “Rememory”.
Hoor Al Qasimi, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, took the reins of the event. She is committed to exploring the city’s multifaceted cultures and perspectives, collaborating with local artists and communities, and bringing in new voices.
The theme, inspired by an essay by Toni Morrison, will be “a means of revisiting, reconstructing and reclaiming histories that have been erased or repressed,” a curatorial statement said.
Venice – In Minor Keys
The 61st edition of the Venice Art Biennale will be carried out in full accordance with the vision of the original curator Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025. She would have been the first woman of African descent to organize the world’s most important biennale. The previous edition, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, was attended by more than 700,000 people.
The 2026 main exhibition will be titled “In Minor Keys” and will debut on May 9, 2026, as originally planned. It will be curated by five advisers Kouoh had selected: curators Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Helene Pereira, and Rasha Salti; Siddartha Mitter, a critic who will serve as editor of the written materials associated with Kouoh’s biennial; and Rory Tsapayi, who will act as assistant to the team.
The list of artists in Kouoh’s exhibition will be announced next year. Some countries have already revealed their selections for their national pavilions at the 2026 biennale. The national pavilions are not part of the main exhibition and thus not linked to Kouoh’s curatorial vision. The Art Biennale will close on November 22, 2026.
As for the project that will represent Romania, the national competition is now in its second phase, with the winner announced in mid-January.
Gwangju Biennale
The 2026 Gwangju Biennale takes place from September to November.
Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen, artistic director of the 16th edition, says his vision for the South Korean event focuses on “the transformative power of art”. A description of the project adds that it aims to “foreground collective artistic practices and solidarities that respond to the intersecting crises of our time, from climate change and unpredictable pandemics to democratic regression”.
