In Minor Keys. Riflessione linguistica e neuroscientifica sull’arte...

Professors Michele Tison and Renzo Barbazza resume the discussion started some years ago on the comparison between linguistic interpretation and the neuro-sensory-perceptual-aesthetic interpretation of the works of artists. The conference on october 30, 2026, is titled linguistic and neuroscientific reflection on the art of the 61st Venice Art Biennale.

This time the occasion is provided by the Venice Biennale, which is by far the most prestigious artistic event globally and brings hundreds of thousands of visitors, art lovers, and professionals to Venice every two years. But some editions are more memorable than others. The 61st Venice Biennale, which just opened on may 9, 2026, has proven to be one of these. Curated by the late Koyo Kouoh (december 24, 1967 – may 10, 2025), this edition of the Venice Biennale is the first to be directed by an African curator and realized after her death. The title, In Minor Keys, wonderfully reflects Kouoh's curatorial practice, and the Biennale itself—realized by her team after the project she had already planned for this edition—is the perfect testament to her commitment to art. With 111 participating artists, 99 national pavilions, and 31 collateral events, In Minor Keys represents a comprehensive exploration.

Monumental installations stand alongside smaller, more intimate works, giving rise to a touching symphony in which artists come together to investigate the meaning of making art today. The exhibition unfolds as a healing experience, suggesting a form of collective redemption. The Venice Biennale of 2026 is charged with emotions. Posthumously curated by Koyo Kouoh, it combines a vision of contemporary art oriented towards healing with unprecedented controversies—marked by protests, jury resignations, artist withdrawals, and strikes—that have placed this edition at the center of global debate.

The Argentine pavilion features Yin Yang Monitor by Matías Duville, a large-scale installation made with salt and charcoal that explores time, nature, and cycles of ruin and rebirth. The Bahamas pavilion hosts works by John Beadle and Lavar Munroe, who have reinterpreted Junkanoo traditions, transforming them into reflections on memory and what has remained invisible or been discarded. The Democratic Republic of the Congo pavilion brings together nine artists who explore unity and transformation through the metaphor of fire. The Finland pavilion, featuring Aeolian Suite by Jenna Sutela, offers an immersive soundscape characterized by wind-inspired sculptures and audio recordings. The Holy See pavilion is a sound project inspired by Hildegard of Bingen that uses ambient recordings. The Iceland pavilion, with Pocket Universe by Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, is an immersive installation that combines playful and surreal elements. The Japan pavilion, with Grass Babies, Moon Babies by Ei Arakawa-Nash, uses 200 dolls to explore participatory rituals and the process of parenthood. The Latvia pavilion revisits the experimental fashion of the 1990s to examine how collective desires take shape during moments of political and economic transition. The Nordic countries pavilion transforms the space into a mythical and unstable environment, with works inspired by folklore and myth. The collateral project from Taiwan, Screen Melancholy, is an immersive installation that explores anxiety and alienation through screen culture and artificial intelligence. South African artist Gabrielle Goliath presents Elegy, a video installation that transforms grief into a ritual of memory.