Abbas Akhavan to Represent Canada at 2026 Venice Biennale
Abbas Akhavan. Photo: Alex de Brabant.
Montreal-based artist Abbas Akhavan will represent Canada at the 61st Venice Biennale, opening from April to November 2026, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) in Ottawa announced today.
Born in 1977 in Tehran, Iran, and living in Canada over the past 30 years, Akhavan is known for a multidisciplinary practice that reflects on the historical and geopolitical forces that define spaces.
The selection committee praised Akhavan for being ‘a meticulous artist and thinker for whom the site of an exhibition becomes both a proposal and provocation’.
‘Whether invoking the ruins of ancient statues destroyed during geopolitical conflicts or exploring the stated idealism of gardens and other domesticated spaces, Akhavan’s sculptural environments set the natural world in uneasy balance,’ they said.
‘Abbas’ work is shaped by the unique characteristics of the sites he works on, including the architectures, surrounding economies, and individuals who frequent them,’ said Canada Pavilion commissioner and NGC Director Jean-François Bélisle. ‘We look forward to supporting him in bringing this vision to life at the Canada Pavilion,’ Bélisle said.
Akhavan received an MFA from the University of British Columbia (2006) and a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal (2004). In 2015, he was awarded the Sobey Art Award. His work was included in the 2023 Gwangju Biennale, the 2019 Toronto Biennial, and the 2018 Liverpool Biennial. Next year, he will open a solo exhibition at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
The current Canada Pavilion in Venice will host Kapwani Kiwanga‘s work until 24 November 2024. —[O]
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