The central attraction at the Venice Biennale is its main exhibition, a curated show meant to pinpoint a dominant theme in art as it stands right now. But all around it are pavilions staged by countries, with each nation selecting one or more artists to mount their own show or installation. These national pavilions have contributed to the common conception of the Biennale as the art world’s Olympics: a place where stars are born and nations flex their might.
The national pavilions tend to remain in flux until the very end. In 2024, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza upended several nations’ plans to exhibit at the Biennale. In 2026, those conflicts may once again roil this area of the Biennale. Uncertainty within a given country can also affect their planned participation.
But to get a sense of how the national pavilions currently stand, we’ve collected a list of all the national pavilions announced for the 2026 Venice Biennale, whose main exhibition is being curated by Koyo Kouoh, the executive director and chief curator of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. While not a requirement, a number of countries often align their picks to resonate with the theme of the main exhibition, which will likely be announced in summer 2025.
Nearly all of these shows are official national pavilions. But this list also include some presentations that are technically considered collateral events, since the Biennale only confers national pavilion status to countries that have official diplomatic ties with Italy. We’ve noted which pavilions listed below are classed as collateral events.
Below, a guide to every 2026 Venice Biennale national pavilion announced so far. This list will be regularly updated as additional countries announce their pavilions.
The post “A Guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale National Pavilions” by Alex Greenberger was published on 01/13/2025 by www.artnews.com