For its 61st edition, the Venice Biennale will be held from May 9 to November 22, 2026. Under the general theme of the international event, "IN MINOR TONES," Senegalese visual artist Caroline Gueye will proudly represent Senegal with an exhibition centered on gold, entitled "Wurus: What the Earth Offers Us." The installation will be located in the Palazzo Navarro gallery, in the historic heart of Venice.

“Through an installation designed specifically for the spaces of the Palazzo Navagero,” Caroline Gueye “evokes the memory of a metal whose history has shaped destinies for millennia,” explained the Senegalese Ministry of Culture, Crafts and Tourism on March 5, 2026, when unveiling the National Pavilion project. “The exhibition unfolds through a succession of carefully orchestrated spatial situations,” it added.

Between art and astrophysics

“I am honored to represent Senegal at the upcoming Venice Biennale. It’s a great responsibility,” the artist declares. Her background is unusual: Caroline Gueye is also an astrophysicist. She studies stars and planets to understand how the universe works, a scientific rigor that often permeates her artistic creations.

Caroline Gueye is no stranger to success. In 2022, at the Dakar Art Biennale (Dak'Art), she won the ECOWAS Award for Best Designer in West Africa.

The symbolism of "Wurus"

For the exhibition's curator, Massamba Mbaye, gold (or "wurus" in Wolof) goes far beyond the material realm. "It maintains a symbolic, economic, cultural, aesthetic, and scientific value. It also speaks to us as an extension of wealth and power, the happiness and depression of the world," the exhibition curator explains.

With this project, Senegal confirms its cultural influence by installing its national pavilion in Venice for the second consecutive time, following the inaugural experience of 2024.

A tribute to the illustrious departed

This edition will also be marked by the memory of great figures of Senegalese art. The Biennale will pay tribute to Koyo Kouoh, the curator initially chosen for this 61st edition and a major figure in contemporary art, who passed away in May 2025.

The public will also be able to rediscover the works of the painter Issa Samb, known as Joe Ouakam (who died in 2017), as well as the sculptures of the famous ceramist Seyni Awa Camara, who recently passed away in January 2026. Their works will resonate with the artistic soul of Senegal far beyond the borders of the Navagero Palace.