The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia Will Take Place from 9 May to 22 Novit 2026, Under the Theme In minor keysFollowing the Curatorial Vision Led by The Late Cameroonian-Swiss Curator Koyo Kouh. Tears paperin Work by Barcelona-Based Artist Clàudia Pagès RabalCurated by Elise Lammeryou have been selected to represent Catalan culture in the Eventi Collaterali Of the biennale, organized by the Institut Ramon Llull.
The Concept of Duality, in Central Aspect of Claudia Pagès Rabal‘s ongoing research, is exploded inheri the rich history of watermarks created hard papers and their transition from fresh to jump water, weaving new connections between what is visible and what lies blessed the surface.
The Catalan artist focus on watermark preserved in the archive of the Capellades Paper Mill Museum with papers dating back to the 12th Century, ranging from northern Italy to Spain. The Proposal Contrats This Rich Archive of Historical Watermarks – Made by Shaping Silver or Copper Wire and Stitching It Onto The Screen of the Mould Used in Papermaking –with a Collection of the Artist’s Own Drawings, Derived From Original Watermarks, Which Are Enarged and Animated Throws. These Drawings Will Share the Space with a Sound Composition and a Video.
Tears paper Aligns with Koyo Kouh’s Curatorial Vision BY CREATING A MULTILLAYERED INSTALATION THAT BOTH LITERALY AND METAPHORALY RESONSES WITH “MINOR KEYS”, IN THE FORM OF SOUND, LIGHT, AND NARRATIVE.
The Project Representing Catalan Culture at the Venice Biennale of Art is Selected Through in Process Organized by the Institut Ramon Llull and Evaluated by an Expert Jury. This Year’s Jury Was Chaired by Pepe SerraDirector of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC). The Members Included Cristina AngladaIndependent Curator and Cultural Manager, CO-CATOR OF THE Opening Section At Arcomadrid 2023–2024 and 2024–2025; María BerríosDirector of Conservation and Research at MACBA; Amanda de la GarzaDeputy Artistic Director of the National Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and Former Director General of Visual Arts and of the University Museo Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) at Unam (Mexico); Chus MartinezDirector of the Institute Art Gender Nature (IAGN) at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Basel, and Artistic Director of the 36th Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts; Philip RamosLecturer at Iagn (FHNW BASEL) and Artistic Director of Loop Festival; Curator of the Project “Catalonia in Venice | Bestiari | Carlos Casas” at the Venice Biennale of Art 2024; and Eva SoriaDirector of Cultural Sectors at the Barcelona Institute of Culture (Barcelona City Council).
Regarding the Selected Project, The Jury Stated: “The History of Paper, Linked to Water and to Jewish and Muslim Communities, Resonates with the History of Our Present. The History of 15th-Century Catalonia Echoes The Story of Today’s World. At the Same Time, The Project Undersands and Embaces The Theme-In minor keys– Outlined by Koyo Kouh. IT EMPLOYS PERSONAL AND INDIRECT ARTISTIC LANGUAGE TO DELVE INTO THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FABRIC ELQUENTLY, BUT WITHOUT BEING Prescriptive. ” They Also Noted That “It is a project of remarkable Quality, Which We are confident Will Captivate a Wide Audience, Regardless of their Previous Knowledge of the Work, The Artist, Gold Contemporary Art.”
The Jury Also Wished to Highlight the Exceptional Quality of the Finalist Projects: “We are astonished by the vitality, Beauty and Urgency of the proposals, and we are pleased to see that Catalonia’s participation in the Venice Biennale of Art Inspires Such a High Level of Artistic and Professional Excellence.” The Four Finalist Projects Were: FulgorCurated by Rosa León; We are resonanceCurated by Pilar Soler Montes; The world will sing … in a vibrationcured by Sonia Fernández Pan; and Praying bodyCurated by Renan Laru-an.
The Institut Ramon Llull Organizations and Produces Catalonia in VeniceThe Representation of Catalan Culture in the Eventi Collaterali Of La Biennale di Venezia. It has participated in the art biennale since 2009 and the architecture biennale since 2012.
Claudia Pagès Rabal Is a Visual Artist, Performeter and Writer Based in Barcelona. In Her Practice, Pagès Rabal Interwines Words, Bodies, Music and Movement, Visual Production and Linguistic Devices Such As Video installations, Works on paper, gold books, in which points of interest converge, Drawing from Linguistics, Psychoanysis, and Decolonial Studies.
Her work has been exhibited in institutions Including Chisenhale, London (2025); Manifest 15, Barcelona (2024); IVAM, Valencia (2024); Sculpture Center, New York (2024); Ca2m, Madrid (2023); Joan Miró Foundation, Barcelona (2023); Tabakalera, Donostia (2022); Vleeshal, Middelburg (2022); MACBA, Barcelona (2022); Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig (2021); and the Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates (2018). She will take part in the 18th Istanbul Biennial (2025) and Has Two Forthcoming Solo Exhibitions at Mumok, Vienna (2025) and Index, Stockholm (2025). Her debut novel, more than two waters, was published in Catalan by Empúries Narrativa in 2024.
Elise Lammer ((b. Lausanne, Switzerland) Is the Director of Halle Nord in Geneva. Her practices on the role of public and domestic space, and the construction and expression of identity. Transdisciplinary in nature, Her work adopts in Transgenerate and Interspectional Approach to Question and Rea -Rea -Reats Narratives That Hate Monolithicick Unilaterally integrated into History, While Simultaneously Examining that Issues From to Contemporary Perspective.
As an Author, Resarcher and Curator, She has contributed to Numberus International Projects, including at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Lisbon); MUMOK – Museum Modernier Kunst Stifig Ludwig (Vienna); Macro (Rome); Schinkel Pavillon (Berlin); Cultural Swiss Center (Paris); Mamco (geneva); Kunsthaus glarus (glarus); Cantonal Musée des Beaux-Arts (Lausanne); and the Istituto Svizzero di Roma (Rome), Among Others.
