The Venice Fuori Biennale: events and locations of widespread art

7 June 2026, 6:42 | di Marika Lion | 0

During the Biennale, Venice is transformed into a large open-air artistic laboratory, where historic buildings, foundations, deconsecrated churches, industrial spaces and courtyards become places of experimentation and cultural exchange.

The Venice Fuori Biennale: events and locations of widespread art

When we talk about the Venice Biennale, we immediately think of the Giardini and the Arsenale, the main venues for international art and architecture exhibitions. However, a fundamental part of the Venetian experience takes place outside the official circuits: the so-called Outside the Biennale, a series of exhibitions, collateral events, installations, performances and cultural initiatives spread throughout the city.

What is meant by Fuori Biennale?

The Fuori Biennale includes both the Collateral Events officially recognized by the Biennale, as well as numerous independent initiatives organized by museums, foundations, universities, galleries, and international cultural institutions. Collateral events are selected by the Biennale and complement the main exhibition with independent projects hosted in venues throughout Venice's historic center. This widespread system allows visitors to discover lesser-known parts of the city and connect with artists, architects, and curators from around the world.

The 2026 edition of the Venice Fuori Biennale

This year's edition takes on a special significance because it takes place at a time marked by profound social, environmental, and technological transformations. While in previous editions, the Fuori Biennale was primarily a series of exhibitions parallel to the official event, this year it becomes a true space for reflection on the major issues of the present: climate change, migration, cultural identity, the relationship between humanity and technology, and the protection of artistic and natural heritage. Through installations, performances, and projects spread throughout the city, artists from around the world use Venice not only as an exhibition space, but as a symbol of contemporary challenges. The lagoon city, long a meeting place for diverse cultures and now particularly exposed to environmental problems, becomes the ideal context for addressing issues that concern global society as a whole. For this reason, the Fuori Biennale 2026 represents not just an artistic event, but an opportunity for international dialogue, capable of engaging visitors, artists, and citizens in a shared reflection on the future of our planet and our communities.

VE art map

The complete list changes with each edition and often exceeds 150-200 exhibition venues, we report only a series of them :

Cannaregio

Mora Palace

Gaza – No Words – See the Exhibit
Exhibition dedicated to memory and testimony through contemporary works.

Diedo Palace

Berggruen Arts & Culture's new center for contemporary art.
Permanent installations and special projects related to the Biennale.

Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel

The Alchemical Universe
Exhibition by Chinese artist Su Xiaobai.

Saint Mark

Olivetti Store

Hybrids
Artist: Leandro Erlich.
One of the most visited exhibitions of the Fuori Biennale.

San Marco Art Centre

lee ufan
Large exhibition dedicated to the Korean master of the Mono-ha movement.

Marciana National Library

Exhibition at the Bvlgari Foundation.
A dialogue between contemporary art and Venetian historical heritage.

Dorsoduro

Gallerie dell'accademia

Marina Abramović – Transforming Energy
Major retrospective dedicated to the famous Serbian artist.

Franchetti Palace

Transparent Boundaries – Bertil Vallien
Dreamers – Martin Janecký
Turandot – To the Daughters of the East
Exhibitions dedicated to artistic glass and the dialogue between cultures.

Punta della Dogana

Third person
Solo exhibition by Lorna Simpson.

Grassi Palace

The Promise of Change
Michael Armitage Exhibition.

Salt Warehouses

Of Woman Born
Exhibition by Indian artist Nalini Malani.

Castle

Docks Cantieri Cucchini

Paper Tears
Catalonia Pavilion with Claudia Pagès Rabal.

Santa Maria della Pietà Institute

Sownd
Wales project with Manon Awst and Dylan Huw.

Magma Gallery

Baile, Botella y Baraja
Project dedicated to the popular culture of Puerto Rico.

Naval History Museum

Iván Tovar: The Return
Major retrospective dedicated to the Dominican artist.

San giorgio maggiore

Giorgio Cini Foundation

Georg Baselitz – Golden Heroes
Important exhibition dedicated to the German master.

Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore

Barry X Ball
Contemporary sculptures that dialogue with the architecture of the basilica.

Other events not to be missed

Erwin Wurm – Dreamers at the Fortuny Museum.
The Quiet Source by Jan Fabre at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.
Jenny saville at Ca' Pesaro.
As Above, So Below at Factory H3.

Marika Lion

She has extensive and consolidated experience in institutional and financial public communications and public affairs, with specific expertise in the fields of art, culture, and tourism, as well as in the development of governance strategies for the valorization and integrated management of their assets. After holding senior institutional positions, she now works as an independent professional in the field of Wealth Management and Heritage, supporting public entities and private entities in strategic positioning and asset valorization processes. She was a visiting professor at IULM University, where she taught Marketing and Communication of Cultural Events and Communication Strategies for the Valorization of Artistic and Cultural Heritage; she also taught Art Market as part of the MASVIC Master's program at Ca' Foscari University. Since 2012, she has been the Director of FIRST Arte. She has authored books and edited editorial series dedicated to the art market, is a member of the Veneto Association of Journalists and is a certified corporate finance consultant. More recently, she has also worked as a corporate writer for professional firms.

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