Every two years, the art world gathers in Venice for a huge celebration of visual arts, where countries “compete” for the best national pavilion prize. It’s a taste barometer, a showcase for artists, and the industry’s biggest meet-up—once called an “orgy of contact and communication” by art historian Lawrence Alloway.
This year, 99 countries are taking part, including Somalia and Qatar, which are among seven first-time participants. The event has been overshadowed by the death of its curator, Koyo Kouoh, just over a year ago. She wanted the event to focus on “enhancement,” with a main show called In Minor Keys. Despite the call for calm, a mix of politics and protests marked the preview week. The activist group Pussy Riot showed up to object to Russia’s inclusion, and a strike on Friday protesting Israel’s involvement led several pavilions—including the UK, Austria, and France—to close their doors.
Here’s a roundup of the key takeaways.
1. Female nudity was everywhere
Austria had its naked speedboat riders, the Danes featured porn stars worrying about men’s sperm counts, and Richard Prince showed his Girlfriends pictures taken from old biker magazines. Some women watching didn’t like it—or at least asked where all the men were. The feminist activist group Femen joined Pussy Riot with their signature topless protest.
2. How do you deal with Russia?
Russia’s presence at the biennale for the first time since its war with Ukraine was an unavoidable topic. On day one, loud music blared from the pavilion, and several crates of prosecco sat outside before being brought in for partying crowds. Pussy Riot responded by showing up in front of the pavilion on the second day, playing a song called “Disobey,” which temporarily forced it to close as police kept them out.
The British response was typically less direct. At the launch of Lubaina Himid’s work, a representative of the ambassador said a government minister wouldn’t attend because of Russia’s involvement. The government later confirmed this, adding that the UK “strongly opposes Russia’s participation at the Venice Biennale.”
3. Strenuous attempts to avoid ‘woke’ work resulted in terrible art
Not everyone loved the previous US pavilion from 2024 by Jeffrey Gibson, but it was certainly lively with its rainbow colors, regular Native American powwows and dances, and super-queer vibes. Compare that to Alma Allen’s US pavilion—his “not yet titled” sculptures were meaningless and unappealing, looking like something you’d see joylessly plopped in a hotel lobby.
4. Venice rules the seas
Florentina Holzinger’s human bell-ringing was the main draw in the Giardini, with the Austrian pavilion drawing huge crowds to watch her SeaWorld Venice unfold. Performers climbed weather vanes, splashed around on jetskis, and were submerged in a tank for four-hour stretches. Maritime themes were key in several pavilions: Israel, Uzbekistan, and Canada all used water or connections to the sea to shape their work.
5. Art that stinks the place out
Smelly art is all the rage. In the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in San Polo, home to the Belarusian pavilion, perfumers created what’s been described as the smell of a “freshly dug grave in the Belarus countryside in late August, laid with rotting flowers.” Lydia Ourahmane’s exhibition at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation wasThe air was filled with the smell of simmering onion and celery stock. The Syrian pavilion, built inside a replica of a destroyed ancient tomb tower from Palmyra, worked with perfumers from Syria. There were also various scents and smells in the Egyptian and German pavilions. Luckily, odor wasn’t part of Aline Bouvy’s Luxembourg pavilion, titled La Merde (which means “the shit”), nor the Austrian pavilion, where urine, toilets, and a sewage spill played a big role.
[Image: La Merde by Aline Bouvy in the Luxembourg pavilion. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian]
6. Off-site standouts
In the main In Minor Keys show, there was a clear lack of work about technology, AI, or even video art. Instead, most of the art on display—following Kouoh’s direction—was low-key and reflective. But two of the best-received works were video pieces shown outside the main biennale site.
The final part of a trilogy that began at the 2022 event was shown at the Fondazione In Between Art Film, featuring eight new video commissions. Canicula included works by Turner Prize winner Lawrence Abu Hamdan, who explored “sonic weaponry” allegedly used against protesters in Serbia. Gabrielle Goliath’s multi-screen video work, Elegy, was another off-site standout that many felt would have added more weight to the main show.
Elsewhere, Arthur Jafa presented some of his greatest hits at his joint show with Richard Prince at the Prada Foundation, including Love is the Message, the Message is Death—which, even 10 years later, still stops you in your tracks.
[Image: Canicula at the Fondazione In Between Art Film. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian]
7. The obvious absence of Koyo Kouoh
It’s really tough when your lead curator dies while curating the group show. Kouoh passed away suddenly from liver cancer with about a year of work left to do. Her five-person team decided to take over and curate the show according to her instructions. But there was a sense of unfinished business about the resulting group show—you could really feel that her full vision only came through in glimpses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of frequently asked questions based on the topic Female nudity and art that stinks key takeaways from the 2026 Venice Biennale
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What is the Venice Biennale
Its a huge famous international art exhibition that happens every two years in Venice Italy Countries set up their own pavilions to show off the best new contemporary art
2 Why is female nudity such a big deal at this years Biennale
Artists are using the naked female body to challenge old ideas about beauty objectification and power Instead of just showing a pretty figure theyre making bold statements about identity politics and the female gaze
3 What do you mean by art that stinks
Some artists are using strong unpleasant smells as part of their artwork Its meant to be shocking and to make you think about decay the body or waste in a new way
4 Is this kind of art just for shock value
Not really While it can be shocking the goal is usually to provoke a deeper conversation The nudity and the smells are tools to make you feel something and question your assumptions about art and society
Advanced Questions
5 How does this years focus on female nudity differ from how it was used in art history
Historically female nudity was often painted by men for a male audience idealizing the body This Biennale features work by many female and nonbinary artists who reclaim the naked body as a subject of their own power vulnerability or protest
6 What is the artistic theory behind using smell in an art installation
Its called olfactory art or scent art Smell is directly linked to memory and emotion Artists use it to create an immersive visceral experience that bypasses the visual forcing you to engage physically and emotionally with the space
7 Can you give a specific example of an installation that uses both nudity and smell
One reported piece features a naked performer slowly moving through a room filled with the smell of salt and seaweed The artist is exploring the connection between the female body the ocean and the idea of preservation and decay
