In his review of the 61st Venice Biennale, Hrag Vartanian (Hyperallergic) states that “the international art exhibition is an unexpected symphony that asks us to ponder what may otherwise be overlooked.” In this article, he mentions various Caribbean artists and the specific spaces where you may see their work. For example, from the Giardini exhibition, Vartanian mentions and shares a photo of a magnificent sculpture by Ebony Patterson (see above); “Anatomy of the Magnolia Tree for Koyo Kouoh” (2026)— an installation by María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Kamaal Malak; and Edouard Duval-Carrié’s stunning “Poto Mitan” (2026).

Vartanian writes that Duval-Carrié’s “Poto Mitan” was created “to complement some older work, including paintings and bronze sculptures, that highlight the rich spiritual traditions of Haiti, where he was born, and retell the histories central to the country’s self-image.”

In the Arsenale section, the author points out, “Annalee Davis’s ‘Let This Be My Cathedral’ (2026) consists of a wall-based herbarium sourced from plants from her home garden on a former plantation in Barbados. Designed as a haven, it imagines a space for introspection and considering the role of ethics in our botanical ecologies.”

Here are other excerpts from the article:

“In Minor Keys was fine-tuned to meet that challenge; work by the 110 invited participants filled the main halls of the Arsenale and Giardini, asking us to look closer at new forms of representation, consider innovative models of measuring the world, and take time to ponder what may otherwise be overlooked.

Wangechi Mutu’s installations in the Giardini and the Arsenale are major achievements, while curatorial juxtapositions, like Ebony G. Patterson’s elaborate peacock with Kambui Olujimi’s North Star watercolors, are inspired. Throughout the exhibition hang banners with quotes from some of the most moving writers and poets of our time, from Refaat al-Areer to Toni Morrison and Ben Okri, that complement the sensitivity of the art all around. Together, they perform an unexpected symphony.” [. . .]

For full review and a splendid selection of photos, see https://hyperallergic.com/in-minor-keys-hits-all-the-right-notes/

[An elaborate sculpture by Ebony Patterson is surrounded by Kambui Olujimi’s lusciously painted North.]