The list of 111 participating artists has been announced for “In Minor Keys,” the main exhibition at this year’s 61st Venice Biennale, curated by the team of the late curator Koyo Kouoh.
The exhibition is being realized according to Kouoh’s wishes by a handpicked team of collaborators with whom she met in Dakar last April. These are London-based curator Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Berlin-based curators Marie Helen Pereira, with ties to Dakar, and Rasha Salti, with ties to Beirut, and Kouoh’s assistant Rory Tsapayi. New York-based critic and journalist Siddhartha Mitter will edit the exhibition catalog.
At a press conference today in Venice, the team described “In Minor Keys” as an invitation to tune into the subtler emotional frequencies made possible by the arts, including music and poetry. In this way, the theme aims to provide “a radical reconnection with art’s natural habitat and role in society,” that of “the sensory, the effective, the subjective.”
Koyo Kouoh. Photo: ©Mirjam Kluka.
The Concept
Kouoh’s team said that she conceived her exhibition according to several guiding “conceptual motifs.” Among these are “shrines,” “rest,” “procession,” and “schools.” The list of participants includes 105 individual artists or collectives with the oldest living artist born in 1943 and the youngest born in 1997.
Unusually, the list also includes six artist-led organizations, like Denniston Hill in the Catskills, Dakar’s Raw Material Company, GAS Foundation in Lagos, and the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institution, included as part of Kouoh’s “schools” motif. These grassroots ecosystems are recognized for their “ethos to convene,” sharing knowledge and providing “havens that are a font of learning and creative transition.”
Central to “In Minor Keys” are two “shrines,” or expansive displays that give particular prominence to two of Kouoh’s guiding lights. One of these is dedicated to the Senegalese artist, playwright, and poet Issa Samb, who died in 2017 at the age of 71. The other honors the American artist Beverly Buchanan, who died in 2015 at the age of 74.
The “procession” motif, inspired by carnivals in the Afro-Atlantic world, meanwhile, includes work by artists like Alvaro Barrington, Nick Cave, Big Chief Demond Melancon, Godfried Donkor, Pio Abad, and Ebony G. Patterson. Kouoh has aimed, where possible, “to refuse solid walls,” proposing instead new processional ways of journeying through an exhibition. Her team worked with Cape Town’s Wolff Architects to design standing supports instead.
The motif of “rest” encourages enchantment as an antidote to “cynicism about what art can do,” spotlighting the work of Helen Sebidi and Seyni Awa Camara. The “Creole garden and courtyard” is also a real and metaphorical place of rest, as imagined in the work of Torkwase Dyson, Edouard Duval-Carrié, Wangechi Mutu, Werewere Liking, and Carsten Höller, among others.
Werewere Liking, Cameroonian actress, writer, and artist, who will participate in the Venice Biennale. Portrait taken in Milano, Italy, 18th January 2007. Photo: Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images.
In line with this philosophy, larger landmark installations will provide spaces for “contemplative pause,” in order “to tune into granular changes within and around” viewers. Kader Attia, Laurie Anderson, Eric Baudelaire, and Pauline Oliveros are among the artists responsible for creating these moments.
One of the spaces was conceived by the Lebanese-born Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi, who Kouoh invited to participate in “In Minor Keys” after he was dropped as Australia’s representative at Venice last year. He was reinstated after Kouoh’s death, and will exhibit large-scale installations in both the main exhibition and the Australia pavilion.
The team said that Kouoh’s legacy is to platform artistic practices that are “generative and generous, that invite collaboration, alchemize, and radiate back to the ways that we are human together.” They further emphasized the inspiration she took from music, poetry, and literature, in particular highlighting Toni Morrison‘s and Gabriel García Márquez‘s .
“In Minor Keys” refuses “orchestral bombast,” asking instead “for listening, that calls on the emotions and sustains them in return.” The team hinted to a broader geopolitical context in claiming that the exhibition will provide “intimate and convivial universes that refresh and sustain even in terrible times.”
Kouoh, the Cameroonian-born chief curator of South Africa’s Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), was the first African woman chosen to curate the Venice Biennale before her sudden death last May. Her memory will be honored by a procession of poets in the Giardini during the Biennale’s opening week. The performance is inspired by the procession of nine African poets from Dakar to Timbuktu that she organized in 1999.
The Biennale noted said that the usual Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement–one of the art world’s biggest honors–will not be awarded this edition because Kouoh did not have time to define them.
The full list of participating artists at the Venice Biennale’s main exhibition is below:
Pio Abad, born 1983, Manila, Philippines. Lives in London, UK.
Philip Aguirre y Otegui, born 1961, Schoten, Belgium. Lives in Antwerp, Belgium.
Akinbode Akinbiyi, born 1946, Oxford, UK. Lives in Berlin, Germany.
Laurie Anderson, born 1947, Chicago, IL, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.
Fabrice Aragno, born 1970, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Lives in Lausanne, Switzerland.
arms ache avid aeon: Nancy Brooks Brody, Joy Episalla, Zoe Leonard, Carrie Yamaoka, fierce pussy, Jo-ey Tang
Kader Attia, born, 1970, Dugny, France. Lives in Berlin, Germany and Paris, France.
Sammy Baloji, born 1978, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lives in Brussels, Belgium and Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ranti Bam, born 1985, Lagos, Nigeria. Lives in Paris, France and Lagos, Nigeria.
Alvaro Barrington, born 1983, Caracas, Venezuela. Lives in London, UK.
Éric Baudelaire, born 1973, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Lives in Paris, France.
Sabian Baumann, born 1962, Zug, Switzerland. Lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
blaxTARLINES KUMASI, founded 2015, Kumasi, Ghana.
Beverly Buchanan, born 1940, Fuquay, NC, USA. D. 2015.
Seyni Awa Camara, born 1945, Oussouy, Senegal. D. 2026.
Nick Cave, born 1959, Chicago, IL, USA. Lives in Chicago, IL, USA.
Carolina Caycedo, Colombian, born 1978, London, UK. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA and Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Annalee Davis, born 1963, St. Michael, Barbados. Lives in St. George, Barbados.
BuBu de la Madeleine, born 1961, Osaka, Japan. Lives in Nara, Japan.
Dawn DeDeaux, born 1952, New Orleans, LA, USA. Lives in New Orleans, LA, USA.
Nolan Oswald Dennis, born 1988, Lusaka, Zambia. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Denniston Hill, founded 2008, Glen Wild, NY, USA.
Bonnie Devine, born 1952, Toronto, Canada. Lives in Toronto, Canada.
Godfried Donkor, born 1964, Accra, Ghana. Lives in London, UK and Accra, Ghana.
Marcel Duchamp, born 1887, Blainville-Crevon, France. D. 1968.
Edouard Duval-Carrié, born 1954, Port-au-Prince, Haïtï. Lives in Miami, FL, USA.
Torkwase Dyson, born 1973, Chicago, IL, USA. Lives in Beacon, NY, USA.
rana elnemr, born 1974, Hannover, Germany. Lives in Cairo, Egypt.
Theo Eshetu, born 1958, London, UK. Lives in Berlin, Germany and Rome, Italy.
Rachel Fallon (with Alice Maher), born 1971, Dublin, Ireland. Lives in Dublin, Ireland.
G.A.S. Foundation, founded 2023, Lagos and Ijebu Ode, Nigeria.
Sofía Gallisá Muriente, born 1986, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lives in Puerto Rico.
Adebunmi Gbadebo, born 1992, Livingston, NJ, USA. Lives in Philadelphia, PA and Newark, NJ, USA.
Leonilda González, born 1923, Minuano, Uruguay. D. 2017.
Linda Goode Bryant, born 1949, Columbus, OH, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.
Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige
Born 1969, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Beirut, Lebanon and Paris, France.
Born 1969, Moussaitbeh, Lebanon. Lives in Beirut, Lebanon and Paris, France.
Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, born 1988, Toronto, Canada. Lives in Toronto, Canada; New York City, NY, USA; and Japan.
Ayrson Heráclito, born 1968, Macaúbas, Bahia, Brazil. Lives in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Clarissa Herbst & Dominique Rust
Born 1959, Crailsheim, Germany. Lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Born 1960, Basel, Switzerland. Lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Nicholas Hlobo, born 1975, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Carsten Höller, born 1961, Brussels, Belgium. Lives in Stockholm, Sweden; Biriwa, Ghana; and Tuscany, Italy.
Sohrab Hura, born 1981, Chinsurah, India. Lives in New Delhi, India.
Alfredo Jaar, born 1965, Santiago, Chile. Lives in Lisbon, Portugal.
Mohammed Joha, born 1978, Gaza, Palestine. Lives in Marseille, France.
Michael Joo, born 1966, Ithaca, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.
Nina Katchadourian, born 1968, Stanford, CA, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA and Berlin, Germany.
Bodys Isek Kingelez, born 1948, Kimbembele Ihunga, former Belgian Congo, now Democratic Republic of the Congo. D. 2015.
Sandra Knecht, born 1968, Buus, Switzerland. Lives in Buus, Switzerland.
Marcia Kure, born 1970, Kano State, Nigeria. Lives in Princeton, NJ, USA; Abuja, and Kaduna, Nigeria.
Natalia Lassalle-Morillo (in collaboration with Gloria Morillo), born 1991, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Florence Lazar, born 1966, Paris, France. Lives in Paris, France.
Dan Lie, born 1988. Lives in Berlin, Germany.
Werewere Liking, born 1950, Mgombas, Cameroon. Lives in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
lugar a dudas, founded 2004, Cali, Colombia.
Daniel Lind-Ramos, born 1953, Loiza, Puerto Rico. Lives in Loiza, Puerto Rico.
Alice Maher, born 1956, Tipperary, Ireland. Lives in County Mayo, Ireland.
Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons & Kamaal Malak
Born 1959, Matanzas, Cuba Lives in Nashville, TN, USA.
Born 1962, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Lives in Nashville, TN, USA.
Senzeni Marasela, born 1977, Thokoza, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Guadalupe Maravilla, born 1976, San Salvador, El Salvador. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.
Manuel Mathieu, born 1986, Port-au-Prince, Haïtï. Lives in Montreal, Canada and Paris, France.
Georgina Maxim, born 1980, Harare, Zimbabwe. Lives in Harare and Mutare, Zimbabwe.
Tiona Nekkia McClodden, born 1981, Blytheville, AR, USA. Lives in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Big Chief Demond Melancon, born 1978, New Orleans, LA, USA. Lives in New Orleans, LA, USA.
Avi Mograbi, born 1956, Tel Aviv. Lives in Lisbon, Portugal.
Wangechi Mutu, born 1972, Nairobi, Kenya. Lives in New York City, NY, USA and Nairobi, Kenya.
Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI), founded 2020, Nairobi, Kenya.
Eustaquio Neves, born 1955, Juatuba, Brazil. Lives in Diamantina, Brazil.
Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn, born 1976, Sài Gòn, Việt Nam. Lives in Hội An, works in Hồ Chí Minh City, Việt Nam.
Tammy Nguyen, born 1984, San Francisco, CA, USA. Lives in Easton, CT, USA.
Otobong Nkanga, born 1974, Kano, Nigeria. Lives in Antwerp, Belgium, and Uyo, Nigeria.
Kaloki Nyamai, born 1985, Nairobi, Kenya. Lives in Nairobi, Kenya.
Temitayo Ogunbiyi, born 1984, Rochester, NY, USA. Lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
Pauline Oliveros, born 1932, Houston, TX, USA. D. 2016.
Kambui Olujimi, born 1976, Brooklyn, New York City, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.
Hagar Ophir, born 1983, Jerusalem. Lives in Berlin, Germany.
Uriel Orlow, born 1973, Zurich, Switzerland. Lives in Lisbon, Portugal; London, UK; and Basel, Switzerland.
Ebony G. Patterson, born 1981, Kingston, Jamaica. Lives in Kingston, Jamaica and Chicago, IL, USA.
Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos
Born 1985, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Lives in Toronto, Canada.
Born 1981, Manila, Phillipines. Lives in Calgary, Canada.
Thania Petersen, born 1980, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
Alan Phelan, born 1968, Dublin, Ireland. Lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Johannes Phokela, born 1966, Johannesburg, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Léonard Pongo, born 1988, Liège, Belgium. Lives in Brussels, Belgium and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Walid Raad, born 1967, Chbanieh, Lebanon. Lives in Medusa, NY, USA.
Mohammed Z. Rahman, born 1997, London, UK. Lives in London, UK.
RAW Material Company, founded 2008, Dakar, Senegal.
Tabita Rezaire, born 1989, Paris, France, 1989. Lives in Cayenne, French Guiana.
Guadalupe Rosales, born 1980, Redwood City, CA, USA. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Yo-E Ryou, born 1987, Seoul, South Korea. Lives in Seoul and Jeju Island, South Korea.
Khaled Sabsabi, born 1965, Tripoli, Lebanon. Lives in Sydney, Australia.
Rose Salane, born 1992, New York City, NY, USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.
Issa Samb, born 1945, Dakar, Senegal. D. 2017.
Amina Saoudi Aït Khay, born 1955, Casablanca, Morocco. Lives in Sousse, Tunisia.
Carrie Schneider, born 1979, Chicago, IL USA. Lives in New York City, NY, USA.
Hala Schoukair, born 1957, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Beirut, Lebanon.
Berni Searle, born 1964, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi, born 1943, Marapyane, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Wardha Shabbir, born 1987, Lahore, Pakistan. Lives in Lahore, Pakistan.
Yoshiko Shimada, born 1959, Tokyo, Japan. Lives in Chiba, Japan.
Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser
Born 1987, New Delhi, India. Lives in London, UK and New Delhi, India.
Born 1985, Bonn, Germany. Lives in London, UK and New Delhi, India.
Buhlebezwe Siwani, born 1987, Johannesburg, South Africa. Lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Cape Town, South Africa.
Cauleen Smith, born 1967, Riverside, CA, USA. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Vera Tamari, born 1944, Jerusalem, Palestine. 1944. Lives in Ramallah, Palestine.
Tsai Ming-liang, born 1957, Kuching, Malaysia. Lives in New Taipei City and Taipei, Taiwan.
Victoria-Idongesit Udondian, born 1982, Uyo, Nigeria. Lives in Lagos, Nigeria and New York City, NY, USA.
Celia Vásquez Yui, born 1960, Pucallpa, Peru. Lives in the Peruvian Amazon, Pucallpa, Peru.
Kemang Wa Lehulere, born 1984, Cape Town, South Africa. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
Kennedy Yanko, born 1988, St. Louis, MO, USA. Lives in Miami, FL, USA.
Raed Yassin, born 1979, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Beirut, Lebanon and Berlin, Germany.
Sawangwongse Yawnghwe, born 1971, Shan State Burma. Lives in Zutphen, Netherlands and Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Billie Zangewa, born 1973, Blantyre, Malawi. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
APPLIED ARTS PAVILION
A Special Project of La Biennale di Venezia and Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Gala Porras-Kim, born 1984, Bogotá, Colombia. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA and London, UK.
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
