The 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, titled In Minor Keys, will take place from 9 May to 22 November 2026 in Venice, bringing together 111 invited participants from across the globe. Curated by the renowned Cameroonian-born curator Koyo Kouoh, the exhibition continues the long tradition of the La Biennale di Venezia as one of the most influential platforms for contemporary art. Among the selected participants are individual artists, collaborative duos, collectives, and artist-led organisations, representing diverse geographies and artistic practices.
Kouoh’s curatorial vision for In Minor Keys reflects a relational approach to artistic practice. Rather than organizing the exhibition around rigid geographical categories, the curator sought resonances and affinities across cultures, generations, and artistic languages. In looking at artists working in cities such as Salvador, Dakar, San Juan, Beirut, Paris, or Nashville, Kouoh explored how their material experimentation, conceptual depth, and visionary thinking intersect across seemingly distant contexts. The exhibition therefore expands upon the curator’s lifelong encounters with artists and ideas, creating a network of creative dialogue that transcends borders.
Within this global framework, African artists and institutions occupy a particularly significant presence. A total of 29 individual artists, alongside collectives and cultural organisations from across the continent, are included among the invited participants. Their practices span photography, sculpture, textile, installation, performance, and conceptual art, reflecting the diversity and dynamism of contemporary artistic production connected to Africa.
One of the notable figures included is Akinbode Akinbiyi, the Nigerian-British photographer born in Oxford in 1946 and based in Berlin. Over decades, Akinbiyi has built an extensive photographic archive documenting urban life across African cities, capturing everyday gestures and architectural environments with a quiet observational sensitivity. Similarly, Congolese artist Sammy Baloji, born in Lubumbashi in 1978, continues to interrogate colonial histories and extractive economies through photography, video, and installation. His work frequently examines the mining landscapes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the enduring legacies of colonial exploitation.
Among the Nigerian artists invited is Ranti Bam, a Lagos-born multidisciplinary practitioner whose work spans sculpture, performance, and installation, exploring themes of identity, ritual, and transformation. The late Senegalese ceramicist Seyni Awa Camara, born in Oussouye in 1945, is also included, celebrated for her expressive clay sculptures that draw from Diola cosmology and storytelling traditions. From Zambia, Nolan Oswald Dennis brings a conceptual practice that merges philosophy, science, and decolonial thought, questioning dominant knowledge systems and mapping speculative futures.
Ghanaian artist Godfried Donkor, born in Kumasi in 1964, contributes works that merge archival imagery, collage, and printmaking to explore histories of the African diaspora. Egyptian artist rana elnemr, based in Cairo, engages photography and installation to investigate identity, representation, and gender within urban landscapes. Meanwhile, Ethiopian-British video artist Theo Eshetu continues his exploration of global cultural identity through immersive multimedia installations.
South African artists feature prominently within the selection. Sculptor Nicholas Hlobo, known for monumental installations crafted from rubber, ribbon, and found materials, examines language, sexuality, and cultural identity through tactile forms. Painter and sculptor Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi contributes a practice deeply rooted in African spiritual traditions and storytelling. Similarly, multimedia artist Berni Searle addresses race, memory, and colonial histories through performance, photography, and video.
Historical figures are also present in the exhibition. Congolese visionary Bodys Isek Kingelez, who died in 2015, is renowned for his imaginative architectural models depicting utopian African cities. Senegalese artist Issa Samb, a founding member of the Laboratoire Agit’Art collective, represents a pivotal voice in experimental art practices emerging from Dakar during the late twentieth century.
Several artists address questions of migration, spirituality, and global identity. Nigerian artist Marcia Kure examines displacement through sculpture and collage, while Kenyan painter Kaloki Nyamai explores Kikuyu cosmology and symbolism in his richly textured canvases. Nigerian-born artist Otobong Nkanga, internationally recognised for her installations and tapestries, investigates the politics of natural resource extraction and ecological interdependence.
The exhibition also features the influential Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu, whose multidisciplinary practice combines sculpture, collage, film, and performance to explore themes of mythology, gender, and postcolonial identity. Zimbabwean textile artist Georgina Maxim works with reclaimed fabrics to construct layered installations that evoke personal memory and collective history. Meanwhile, Malawian artist Billie Zangewa, celebrated for her intricate silk collages, portrays intimate scenes of contemporary Black life.
Other notable participants include South African multimedia artist Thania Petersen, painter Johannes Phokela, and conceptual artist Kemang Wa Lehulere, whose work interrogates archives, education, and memory. Nigerian textile and installation artist Victoria-Idongesit Udondian addresses labour and sustainability, while South African performance artist Buhlebezwe Siwani, who also works between Amsterdam and Cape Town, explores ritual, spirituality, and Black feminist thought.
The exhibition further includes Kader Attia, the French-Algerian artist born in 1970 in Dugny, France. Attia’s influential practice investigates the concept of “repair” across cultures, examining the physical and psychological wounds produced by colonial histories and conflict. His work, which spans sculpture, installation, and research-based projects, has become central to contemporary discussions around decolonial aesthetics and memory.
Beyond individual artists, several African collectives and institutions are also represented. The Ghana-based collective blaxTARLINES KUMASI, founded in 2015 and associated with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has played a key role in shaping the so-called “new Kumasi art movement.” Their experimental pedagogical model and collaborative projects have significantly influenced contemporary art discourse in West Africa.
Institutional participants include G.A.S. Foundation, a Lagos-based cultural foundation founded in 2023 that supports residencies and artistic exchange, as well as the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute, established in 2020 as a nonprofit space dedicated to exhibitions, research, and education in Kenya. Also included is RAW Material Company, the Dakar-based center for art and knowledge founded by curator Koyo Kouoh, which has become a major platform for critical discourse and artistic production on the continent.
Full List of African Participants in In Minor Keys
Below is the complete list of African artists, collectives, and institutions invited to participate in the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
Akinbode Akinbiyi
- Born 1946, Oxford, United Kingdom (of Nigerian heritage)
- Lives in Berlin, Germany
- Nigerian-British photographer known for long-term documentation of African urban life.
Sammy Baloji
- Born 1978, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Lives in Brussels, Belgium and Lubumbashi, DRC
- Works with photography, video, and installation exploring colonial history and mining economies.
Ranti Bam
- Born 1985, Lagos, Nigeria
- Lives in Paris, France and Lagos, Nigeria
- Multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, performance, and installation.
Seyni Awa Camara
- Born 1945, Oussouye, Senegal
- Died 2026
- Renowned ceramic sculptor known for expressive figurative clay works rooted in Diola culture.
Nolan Oswald Dennis
- Born 1988, Lusaka, Zambia
- Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Conceptual artist exploring decolonial cosmology, land politics, and scientific knowledge systems.
Godfried Donkor
- Born 1964, Kumasi, Ghana
- Lives in London, United Kingdom and Accra, Ghana
- Works with collage, printmaking, and archives focusing on African diaspora histories.
rana elnemr
- Born 1974, Hannover, Germany
- Lives in Cairo, Egypt
- Egyptian artist and photographer whose work addresses identity, representation, and urban space.
Theo Eshetu
- Born 1958, London, United Kingdom (Ethiopian heritage)
- Lives in Berlin, Germany and Rome, Italy
- Video and multimedia artist exploring global cultural identity.
Nicholas Hlobo
- Born 1975, Cape Town, South Africa
- Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Known for large-scale sculptural installations using rubber, ribbon, and found materials.
Bodys Isek Kingelez
- Born 1948, Kimbembele Ihunga, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Died 2015
- Celebrated for visionary architectural models imagining utopian African cities.
Marcia Kure
- Born 1970, Kano State, Nigeria
- Lives in Princeton, New Jersey, USA; Abuja and Kaduna, Nigeria
- Works with sculpture, drawing, and collage addressing migration and identity.
Werewere Liking
- Born 1950, Mgombas, Cameroon
- Lives in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Artist, writer, and cultural activist; founder of the Village Ki-Yi cultural centre.
Senzeni Marasela
- Born 1977, Thokoza, South Africa
- Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Known for performative photography and installations addressing Black womanhood.
Georgina Maxim
- Born 1980, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Lives in Harare and Mutare, Zimbabwe
- Textile and installation artist working with reclaimed fabrics and memory.
Wangechi Mutu
- Born 1972, Nairobi, Kenya
- Lives in New York City, USA and Nairobi, Kenya
- One of the most internationally recognised contemporary African artists working across sculpture, collage, and film.
Otobong Nkanga
- Born 1974, Kano, Nigeria
- Lives in Antwerp, Belgium and Uyo, Nigeria
- Works across drawing, installation, performance, and tapestry examining extraction and ecology.
Kaloki Nyamai
- Born 1985, Nairobi, Kenya
- Lives in Nairobi, Kenya
- Painter exploring spirituality, Kikuyu cosmology, and African symbolism.
Temitayo Ogunbiyi
- Born 1984, Rochester, New York, USA
- Lives in Lagos, Nigeria
- Nigerian-American artist exploring play, public space, and urban experience.
Thania Petersen
- Born 1980, Cape Town, South Africa
- Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
- Multimedia artist examining identity, Islam, and Cape Malay heritage.
Johannes Phokela
- Born 1966, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Painter known for reinterpretations of European classical painting.
Léonard Pongo
- Born 1988, Liège, Belgium (Congolese heritage)
- Lives in Brussels, Belgium and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Photographer examining the social and environmental realities of the Congo Basin.
Issa Samb
- Born 1945, Dakar, Senegal
- Died 2017
- Founding member of the Laboratoire Agit’Art collective and major figure in Senegalese contemporary art.
Amina Saoudi Aït Khay
- Born 1955, Casablanca, Morocco
- Lives in Sousse, Tunisia
- Artist exploring North African visual traditions and contemporary abstraction.
Berni Searle
- Born 1964, Cape Town, South Africa
- Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
- Multimedia artist addressing race, history, and identity through performance and video.
Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi
- Born 1943, Marapyane, South Africa
- Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Painter and sculptor known for expressive works rooted in African spiritual traditions.
Buhlebezwe Siwani
- Born 1987, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Cape Town, South Africa
- Performance and installation artist exploring spirituality, ritual, and Black feminist thought.
Victoria-Idongesit Udondian
- Born 1982, Uyo, Nigeria
- Lives in Lagos, Nigeria and New York City, USA
- Textile and installation artist examining labor, migration, and sustainability.
Kemang Wa Lehulere
- Born 1984, Cape Town, South Africa
- Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
- Works across sculpture, drawing, and installation exploring memory and education.
Billie Zangewa
- Born 1973, Blantyre, Malawi
- Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Known for hand-stitched silk collages depicting contemporary Black domestic life.
Collectives and Artist-Led Initiatives
blaxTARLINES KUMASI
- Founded 2015, Kumasi, Ghana
- Radical art incubator and experimental collective linked to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
- Known for the “new Kumasi art movement”.
Foundations / Art Organisations
G.A.S. Foundation
- Founded 2023, Lagos and Ijebu Ode, Nigeria
- Cultural foundation supporting residencies, research, and artistic exchange.
Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI)
- Founded 2020, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nonprofit art space dedicated to research, exhibitions, and education.
RAW Material Company
- Founded 2008, Dakar, Senegal
- Center for art, knowledge, and society founded by curator Koyo Kouoh.
Together, these artists and organisations demonstrate the breadth and vitality of contemporary artistic practices connected to Africa. Their participation in In Minor Keys reflects not only the continent’s growing visibility within global art discourse but also the complex networks of cultural exchange that shape contemporary creativity.
As the 2026 Venice Biennale approaches, the presence of these artists underscores how African perspectives continue to reshape global conversations about history, identity, ecology, and the future of art. Within Kouoh’s relational curatorial framework, their works promise to form vital nodes in a broader constellation of artistic voices brought together in Venice.
