ArtPro News: As a top trendsetter in the global contemporary art field, the 61st Venice Biennale recently officially announced its complete lineup of exhibitors and core exhibition plans. This year's China Pavilion, curated by Yu Xuhong, President of the China Academy of Art, will bring its themed exhibition "Dream Stream" to the top international art stage.

The biennial will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with 99 countries worldwide confirming their participation. It will also feature 31 parallel exhibitions, setting a new record in scale and academic caliber and firmly establishing itself as the focus of the global art world this year.

The China Pavilion leads the exhibition, with curator Yu Xuhong conveying the core of Eastern art through "Dream Stream".

As a key highlight of the national pavilions section of this year's Venice Biennale, the Chinese National Pavilion has garnered significant attention from the art world both at home and abroad. The curatorial work is led by Yu Xuhong, a leading scholar and senior curator from one of China's top art institutions. Yu Xuhong holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the Oil Painting Department of the China Academy of Art, where she received her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. She currently serves as the President and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Academy of Art, a professor and doctoral supervisor in the Oil Painting Department, and also holds the position of Secretary-General of the Teaching Steering Committee for Fine Arts under the Ministry of Education. In 2019, she was successfully selected as a "National Young Talent" by the Ministry of Education. She is an authoritative figure in the industry, combining artistic creation, academic research, and curating large-scale international exhibitions.

With decades of experience in the art field, Yu Xuhong possesses rich international curatorial experience and profound academic background. She excels at exploring contemporary artistic expressions of outstanding traditional Chinese culture and has led the curation of numerous national and international high-profile art exhibitions, including the "Great Way Without Limits - A Centennial Retrospective Exhibition of Zao Wou-Ki," a key project of the China-France Cultural Tourism Year and a core supporting art exhibition for the Hangzhou Asian Games; the "Song Rhyme Today's Brilliance" art exhibition, a landmark project of the Zhejiang Song Rhyme Culture Festival (recognized as one of the top ten exhibitions of Zhejiang Provincial Museum); and, commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, she spearheaded the planning of high-end international art exchange projects such as the "Liangzhu Forum: Artists' Sub-Forum" and the "Artistic Silk Road" international exhibition. She is committed to building a professional bridge for dialogue between Eastern art and international art, possessing a mature international curatorial vision and the ability to deeply cultivate localized content.

Yu Xuhong has created the "Dream Stream" themed exhibition specifically for the China Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale.Moving beyond the superficial expression of traditional Chinese cultural symbols, this exhibition is grounded in the deep integration of Eastern landscape aesthetics, literati philosophy, and contemporary art creation. It uses international artistic language to interpret the innovative vitality and cultural confidence of contemporary Chinese art. On the top platform of the Venice Biennale, it will showcase the academic height and unique aesthetics of contemporary Chinese art, becoming an important presentation of the internationalization of Eastern art.

Thematic Exhibition "Minor Tunes": Paying Tribute to Avant-garde Curators and Reconstructing the Context of Contemporary Art Expression

The theme of this year's Biennale is "In Minor Keys," entirely curated and personally finalized by Koyo Kouoh, the first African-American woman to serve as the Biennale's chief curator. This highly avant-garde and internationally influential curator tragically passed away during the crucial preparation period for the Biennale, a great loss to the global art world. The organizing committee adhered to her complete curatorial framework, core academic concepts, and art selection criteria throughout the entire process, fully implementing all aspects of the theme exhibition's plan. This not only carries on Koyo Kouoh's curatorial legacy but also imbues this year's theme exhibition with a unique artistic commemorative significance.

From a curatorial perspective, the theme of "minor keys" originates from musical terminology, deliberately breaking away from the grand narratives, utilitarian creations, and commercial expressions often found in mainstream contemporary art. Instead, it focuses on those unproductive, improvisational, and subtle yet delicate artistic moments overlooked by the mainstream context. Compared to the exhilarating and expansive major keys, minor keys inherently possess introverted, profound, and emotional qualities. This theme precisely echoes the current trend in contemporary art of returning to individual expression, paying attention to marginalized voices, and exploring the inner spirit. It encourages artists to break free from the constraints of popularity and the market, conveying ideas through more sincere and intimate creations. It also provides the global art world with a new direction for academic reflection, breaking the fixed curatorial logic of traditional biennials.

With city-wide exhibition area coordination and a reshaping of the international landscape, Russia returns to the exhibition after many years.

This year's Biennale continues the classic exhibition layout of the Venice Biennale, with core exhibitions held in the two traditional main venues, Giardini and Arsenale. At the same time, exhibitions are also being held simultaneously in many other distinctive pavilions and public spaces throughout Venice, achieving a deep integration of artworks with the urban fabric. This creates an immersive contemporary art viewing experience for collectors, art professionals, and audiences worldwide, balancing professional academic rigor with public accessibility.

From the perspective of the international art landscape, this year's Biennale sees a significant change: Russia, absent for many years, has confirmed its return, with its national pavilion themed "Roots in the Sky." This aims to break down cultural barriers and restart international art exchange and dialogue through art, a language that transcends borders. This change reflects the current global art world's pursuit of diversity, inclusiveness, and overcoming obstacles, aligning with the Venice Biennale's long-standing commitment to international art exchange.

As a world-class art biennial with a century-long history, the Venice Biennale has always been a core trendsetter for the development of contemporary art globally. Each edition's curatorial theme and participating lineup profoundly influence the subsequent direction of the global art industry. This year's biennale, with "Minor Key" as its core academic anchor, balances in-depth academic expression, multicultural dialogue, and international artistic inclusivity. Featuring artists from 99 countries and over 100 groups, coupled with a city-wide network of art exhibitions, it will officially open in May as a top-tier art extravaganza transcending borders and media. ArtPro will continue to follow the preparations, setup, and opening of this year's biennale, providing the industry with firsthand, professional, and in-depth coverage.
Stay tuned to ArtPro for the latest updates on the global art market.