The Must-See Exhibitions in Venice
From the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia to the inaugural exhibition at the Matthew Wong Foundation
Venice is buzzing with creativity this season as the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia gets underway, but the excitement doesn’t stop there. Below, find some of the most stunning exhibitions and installations to see around the city.
1. Venice Biennale
Opening May 9, the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled “In Minor Keys,” is a poignant tribute to its curator, Koyo Kouoh, following her sudden death last year, and the central pavilion honors her theoretical framework. Must-see national pavilions include installations by Khaled Sabsabi for Australia, Yto Barrada for France, and Alma Allen for the U.S.
2. Gallerie dell’Accademia
This spring, Marina Abramović becomes the only living female artist to receive a dedicated major exhibition at the Gallerie dell’Accademia. Debuting May 6, “Transforming Energy” weaves work by Abramović throughout the museum’s permanent collection, marking the first time the institution has integrated a temporary show within its historic galleries.
3. Matthew Wong Foundation
Set within the magnificent Palazzo Tiepolo Passi, the foundation’s inaugural exhibition, premiering May 6, will unveil 35 previously unseen or rarely viewed works produced by the late Chinese Canadian artist from 2015 to 2019. Curated by influential gallerist John Cheim, “Interiors” focuses on Wong’s physical and psychological interior paintings, highlighting themes of social struggle, longing, and isolation.
4. Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana
Beginning March 29, a sweeping retrospective of Michael Armitage, whose paintings bridge East African life and Western art history, animates the grand Palazzo Grassi. The show spotlights his exploration of sensitive political narratives, migration, and sexuality. Concurrently, at the Punta della Dogana, a retrospective of Lorna Simpson’s prolific practice will fill the sprawling galleries with 50 works spanning video, sculpture, and painting.
5. Ca’ Pesaro
Celebrated Miami-based figurative painter Hernan Bas will transform Ca’ Pesaro on May 7 with a new series of contemporary paintings that depict tourists in scenarios both imagined and real, drawing inspiration from Venice.
6. Espaces Louis Vuitton Venezia
Chinese-born artist Lu Yang presents “DOKU The Illusion” at Espaces Louis Vuitton Venezia as part of the Hors-les-murs program. The artist has transformed the space into a cybernetic sanctuary with original sculptures and a video work centered on his new film, DOKU The Illusion, the fourth chapter in the DOKU series.
7. Vincenzo de Cotiis Foundation
Timed to the 61st Venice Biennale, “Minimal Legends” occupies the palazzo’s richly layered interiors with an installation that bridges generations and artistic movements. Rather than mounting a straightforward historical survey, the show stages a conversation between nearly 20 works by seminal Minimalist artists and their contemporaries. John Chamberlain, Sol LeWitt, Larry Bell, Agnes Martin, Mark Rothko, Frank Stella, Richard Serra, Dan Flavin, and Bridget Riley appear alongside two works by De Cotiis himself, whose salvaged-material compositions often carry the weathered patina of objects unearthed from centuries-old Venetian architecture.
8. Fondazione Dries Van Noten
At Palazzo Pisani Moretta, Dries Van Noten presents “The Only Protest is Beauty,” which considers craftsmanship as a language of expression and a conduit for emotion. The exhibition features unexpected moments of fashion, design, glass, material experimentation, jewels, and art placed in dialogue with one another to challenge assumptions and produce new responses.