Venice Biennale and documenta, how the great survey exhibitions work
Pavilions in a Venetian garden, a hundred days in Kassel: how the art world’s great survey exhibitions began, how they are run and how to plan a visit.
Every few years the art world gathers in two very different places: the lagoon city of Venice and the German city of Kassel. Neither event is a fair, and almost nothing is for sale. They are survey exhibitions, vast temporary shows that try to answer a simple, difficult question: what are artists thinking about right now?
Venice, a city of pavilions
The Venice Biennale opened its first international art exhibition in 1895, which makes it the oldest event of its kind. Its historic heart is the , public gardens at the eastern end of the city, where countries began building their own exhibition buildings in the early twentieth century. Belgium was first, in 1907.
Today around thirty permanent national pavilions stand under the trees, each a small piece of architecture from its own era. Each country chooses its artist or team, and the pavilion becomes that nation’s statement for the season. Countries without a building in the Giardini rent palazzi, churches and warehouses around the city, which is why you meet the Biennale in unexpected corners of Venice.
The second great venue is the , the former shipyards and rope works of the Venetian republic. Its long brick halls first opened to the Biennale in 1980, and since 1999 they have been part of the main international exhibition. Around the official programme, dozens of collateral events approved by the Biennale fill further buildings across the city.
Curators, Golden Lions and a two-year rhythm
For each edition the Biennale appoints a curator, who devises the main exhibition and chooses its artists. That show runs through the Central Pavilion in the Giardini and the Arsenale, and it is usually the part people argue about most.
Traditionally, an international jury awards the Golden Lions: one for the best national participation and one for the best participant in the main exhibition, with a Silver Lion for a promising young artist. The Biennale also runs a separate architecture exhibition, set up in 1980, and the two alternate. Since the pandemic shifted the cycle, the art exhibition takes place in even-numbered years and architecture in odd ones.
The 2026 edition, In Minor Keys
The 61st International Art Exhibition opened in May 2026 under the title In Minor Keys and runs until late November. It was conceived by the Cameroonian-born curator Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025 while preparing it. The Biennale decided to realise her concept as she had planned it, carried out by the team she had chosen.
The edition has also been marked by dispute. Shortly before the opening, the international jury resigned, and the Biennale replaced the jury prizes with awards decided by visitors’ votes. Many participating artists asked not to be considered, and the arrangement remained contested through the summer. It is a reminder that a biennale is a public stage, and public stages attract politics.
documenta, the museum of one hundred days
documenta, always written in lower case, was founded in 1955 by Arnold Bode, a painter and teacher in Kassel. The first edition took place alongside a federal garden show in the war-damaged Museum Fridericianum. Its aim was to reconnect Germany with international modern art after the Nazi years, when much of that art had been banned and defamed.
Each edition lasts one hundred days, which earned documenta its nickname, the museum of one hundred days. After a few early editions at four-year intervals, it settled into a rhythm of about five years from 1972. Since that year each documenta has had a new , so every edition looks completely different from the last.
documenta fifteen in 2022 was curated by the Indonesian collective ruangrupa and was overshadowed by a serious controversy over antisemitic imagery in one large work. The next edition, documenta 16, is planned for the summer of 2027. Exact dates and venues are published on documenta’s own website.
A biennale is a public stage, and public stages attract politics.
Beyond Venice and Kassel
The Venice model travelled. The Bienal de São Paulo, founded in 1951, was built on it, and today there are biennials on every continent. A few long-established names give a sense of the range:
- The Bienal de São Paulo, since 1951, one of the most important exhibitions in Latin America.
- The Biennale of Sydney, founded in 1973.
- The Istanbul Biennial, organised since 1987 by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts.
- The Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, first held in 1998.
Smaller and younger biennials often feel more relaxed than the famous names, with fewer crowds and more time to talk to the people who made them. If you travel anyway, it is worth checking whether a city you plan to visit hosts one.
Planning your visit
Survey exhibitions reward patience more than speed. In Venice, give the Giardini and the Arsenale a day each if you can, and add time for the pavilions scattered through the city. In Kassel, documenta spreads across museums, parks and unusual sites, so a walking plan and a map help.
Inside each pavilion or hall, read the short introduction at the entrance before you look, because it often explains in a few sentences what the artist set out to do. Then trust your eyes. You will not like everything, and you are not meant to. A survey show is a conversation with many voices, and some of the most memorable moments come from works you would never have chosen to see.
Book accommodation early, because both cities fill quickly in the opening weeks, and check the official website for tickets, opening times and any days when venues close. The first weeks are the busiest; later in the run the rooms are calmer and the conversation has moved on, which can make looking easier.
Terms in this article
- Giardini
- The public gardens in Venice where around thirty permanent national pavilions of the Biennale stand.
- Arsenale
- The former Venetian shipyards, used since 1999 for part of the Biennale’s main international exhibition.
- National pavilion
- A country’s own exhibition at the Venice Biennale, chosen and presented by that country.
- Artistic director
- The person or team responsible for the concept and artist selection of a documenta edition.
Readers ask
What is the difference between a biennale and an art fair?
An art fair is a market: galleries rent booths for a few days and sell work. A biennale or documenta is a curated exhibition that runs for months, with artists chosen by a curator or by participating countries. Almost nothing is for sale, and the aim is to show and discuss current art rather than to trade it.
How much time do I need for the Venice Biennale?
Two full days are a comfortable minimum: one for the Giardini, with the Central Pavilion and the national pavilions, and one for the Arsenale. Add a third day if you want to see pavilions and collateral events across the city. Check the Biennale’s official website for current tickets and opening times before you travel.
Do I need to know a lot about contemporary art to enjoy it?
No. Survey exhibitions are made for curious visitors as much as for specialists. Read the short wall texts, follow what catches your eye and allow yourself to skip what does not. Many works deal with themes everyone knows, such as home, memory, migration or the environment, and your own response is a perfectly good starting point.
