Scotland + Venice to return in 2026
Following a pause in 2024 to review Scotland’s involvement, the Scotland + Venice Partnership are pleased to announce their renewed participation in the Venice Biennale for 2026, and a commitment to future editions in 2028 and 2030.
Scotland + Venice supports the promotion of contemporary visual art in Scotland on an international stage, and the independent review recommended that Scotland + Venice return to presenting in Venice in 2026. The Review found there was overwhelming support for the project from across Scotland’s visual arts community, with participants supporting a renewed approach that prioritises public engagement at home and abroad with more resources. Those consulted across Scotland saw Scotland + Venice as offering a unique opportunity for artists based in Scotland to engage with complex topics, contemporary issues on a global stage, offering impactful professional development for artists and creative individuals and organisations across Scotland.
Alastair Evans, Chair of Scotland + Venice Partnership, said, “Exhibiting work during one of the highest profile moments in the visual arts calendar, at the Venice Biennale, allows Scotland’s artists to be seen on a prestigious international stage with their global peers, in a city visited by thousands every year. It gives artists the opportunity to create a significant commission, as well as giving others working in the Scottish art scene the chance to develop their own skills on an ambitious project. A professional development and invigilator programme will again run alongside the Venice exhibition, delivered in partnership with Scottish HE/FE institutions. Over 200 students and creatives have graduated through the programme since Scotland + Venice began in 2003.”
Jenny Crowe, Chair of Scottish Contemporary Art Network, added, “The return of the Scotland + Venice project to the art biennale is very much welcome and signals a renewed buoyancy for contemporary art in Scotland. The Biennale remains an incredibly important platform that brings together curators and arts professionals from across the world, and Scotland being part of that global conversation is essential. Many artists and arts professionals in Scotland enjoy international careers, and although only a small number can be represented in the Biennale, the Scotland + Venice opportunity existing and being part of that international mix will undoubtedly foster a new sense of ambition and reach. It allows artists to consider their place and connect their work to audiences from all over the world.”
Scotland + Venice are encouraging applications from those who would be interested in delivering the project in 2026 through an Open Call. The Open Call process for the concurrent professional development/invigilator programme, delivered in partnership with Scottish HE/FE institutions, will be announced later this year. The Scotland + Venice partnership are also committed to exploring opportunities to share the work presented in Venice to audiences in Scotland after the Biennale exhibition closes.
Image: The Choir is waiting at the threshold and (pause) – deep dive (pause) uncoiling memory, 2022 photographer Cristiano Corte, © Alberta Whittle. Courtesy the artist, Scotland + Venice