The upcoming 2026 Venice Biennale, which runs from 9 May to 22 November, appears to be shaping up to be more than just a platform for international recognition. Entitled *In Minor Keys* and curated by Koyo Kouoh, the exhibition offers a different sensibility: less focused on monumental spectacle and more attentive to the subtle, the collective and the sensory. In a context marked by visual saturation and technological acceleration, this biennale could become a space to observe how contemporary art is once again placing the body, matter and the tactile experience at the centre of creation.
The strong Latin American presence—with fifteen artists from the region participating in this edition—also reflects a shift in the dominant narratives of contemporary art. Themes such as memory, ecology, indigenous and Afro-descendant experiences, as well as forms of community, run through many of the continent’s most significant practices today. Against this backdrop, the participation of the Chilean artist Norton Maza, in an exhibition curated by Marisa Caichiolo and Dermis León, takes on a particular resonance: his work, marked by political critique and the construction of complex material scenes, engages with this contemporary need to rethink the links between territory, memory and representation.
But the international contemporary art scene does not revolve solely around Venice. Art Basel 2026 will take place in Switzerland from 18 to 21 June 2026; it is one of the most influential fairs on the global circuit, where galleries, collectors and artists often cement many of the trends that subsequently dominate the market and institutions. Whilst the Biennale has historically functioned as a space for curatorial reflection and conceptual experimentation, Art Basel operates as a barometer of the economic and aesthetic dynamics of the present. The proximity of these two events allows us to consider how certain concerns—materiality, a return to craftsmanship, collaborative practices and explorations of identity—permeate both institutional discourse and the international art market today.
It is no coincidence that, in the face of the rise of artificial intelligence and the endless production of digital images, many current trends point towards a renewed interest in crafts, textiles, ceramics and manual techniques. Materiality matters once again: textured surfaces, hybrid assemblages and the use of recycled materials are appearing with increasing prominence in museums, galleries and international fairs. More than a nostalgia for the past, this return to the handmade seems to function as a critical response to the growing dematerialisation of the contemporary experience.
Artists featured in this edition:
María Eugenia Trujillo,Colombia.
Sandra Millar, Chile.
Pierre Louis, Sudáfrica.
Gloria Herazo, Colombia.
Wara Cardozo, Bolivia.
Ana Blanchard, Chile.
Irene Ortiz Vidal, España.
Katherine Sarmiento, Colombia.
Angélica Chavarro, Colombia.
Masha Sha, Rusia.
Vanessa Valero, Colombia.
Adrián Paiva, Argentina.
Erika Ewel, Bolivia.
Kristie Arias, Colombia.
Alicia Esquivel, Argentina.
