Returning from Venice: Reflections on the 61st Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale stands as one of the major artistic gatherings of the year, offering a sensitive and deeply contemporary reading of the world. Curated by Koyo Kouoh — the celebrated Cameroonian-Swiss curator who passed away on May 10, 2025, at the age of 57, just months after her appointment, and who would have been the first African woman to lead the Venice Biennale — this edition, titled In Minor Keys, invites us to step away from global noise and enter a more attentive form of listening, one made of nuance, slowness, and care for invisible narratives.

The exhibition stands as a testament to her passion, intellectual rigor, and vision. The works presented at the Arsenale, the Giardini, and throughout the city of Venice compose a polyphony of artistic approaches, weaving together installations, videos, textiles, and performances. The whole celebrates practices from around the world, with particular attention paid to long-marginalized scenes and narratives from the Global South. Despite a tense international context, marked by debate and diplomatic friction, the event retains a remarkable strength: its ability to create spaces for dialogue and contemplation. The main exhibition, conceived as a form of poetic resistance, favors quiet emotions and more fragile modes of expression, far from the pursuit of spectacle. In this edition, Venice becomes more than ever a place where imaginaries circulate. The Biennale thus presents itself as an invitation to slow down, to listen differently, and to rediscover art as a sensitive language capable of connecting cultures and experiences.