“In Minor Keys” Is the Biennale’s Crown Jewel

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Also, Aruna d’Souza interviews Australian Pavilion artist Khaled Sabsabi.

Amidst the backdrop of protest chants and an impending cultural labor strike, In Minor Keys at the Venice Biennale emerges as “a solid hymn to the billions who carry melancholy and riotous joy in the same heart,” according to Hyperallergic’s Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara. In his review of the exhibition, Bishara highlights how the show accentuates the often overlooked and unheard. He adds, if the exhibition doesn’t resonate with you, “it might be partly about you.”

Among the featured artists is Khaled Sabsabi, who was invited by the late curator Koyo Kouoh to participate after facing temporary removal as the Australian pavilion’s representative due to pressure from pro-Israel groups. He was later reinstated. Aruna d’Souza engages with the Lebanese-born, Sydney-based artist to discuss “khalil,” his pivotal piece at the Arsenale, his vision for the pavilion, and the concept of “the multitude of beings within yourself.”

—Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor

Centuries of Endurance Undergird “In Minor Keys”

The main exhibition of the 2026 Venice Biennale sets aside themes of rage and retribution, offering instead a moment of calm, centeredness, and self-forgiveness for those who have been oppressed.

With contributions from 111 international artists, the posthumous exhibition “In Minor Keys” stands as the highlight of a significant biennale. It celebrates the historically marginalized and overlooked, described by some as the proud and beautiful “wretched of the earth.” | Hakim Bishara

Khaled Sabsabi’s Art of Collective Becoming

Lebanese-born, Sydney-based artist Khaled Sabsabi was initially selected to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Shortly thereafter, the government intervened to reverse the decision. Subsequently, Koyo Kouoh, the curator of the biennale’s main exhibition, extended an invitation to Sabsabi to join the show.

In this piece, we explore Sabsabi’s artistic journey. | Aruna D’Souza

At auction on June 4, Swann’s Contemporary Art sale offers works from living artists like Banksy, Simone Leigh, and Nicole Eisenman alongside Pop, Post Modern, and Minimalist icons.

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