“If you want to understand how our privileged part of the world is handling its nightmares, the Venice Biennale is of indispensable value”
ArtReview sent a questionnaire to artists and curators exhibiting in and curating the various national pavilions of the 2026 Venice Biennale, the responses to which will be published daily in the leadup to and during the Venice Biennale, which runs from 9 May through 22 November.
Dries Verhoeven is representing the Netherlands; the pavilion is in the Giardini.
Celebrating Visions. Versace partners with ArtReview to share stories from the 2026 Venice Biennale.
ArtReview Tell ArtReview what you plan to exhibit in Venice. What has influenced or inspired you?
Dries Verhoeven What inspired me first and foremost are the Giardini and the Dutch Rietveld Pavilion, which I regard as metaphors for a bygone era. So idyllic, so optimistic in nature, so comfortable, while you can also clearly see the cracks and patches of mould. With The Fortress I aim to create a work about transition and self-preservation — about a Western society caught between its enlightened self-image on the one hand and a dark vision of the future on the other. In a 25-minute rite of passage, the sunlit pavilion gradually closes itself off and transforms into a darkened bunker. Inside, the approaching darkness manifests itself through a raw vocal performance. We perform from Wednesday to Sunday.
AR In what ways (if at all) does your work relate to the theme of the Biennale exhibition, In Minor Keys?
DV It will absolutely be a melancholic work. But I suspect that The Fortress will speak to a different emotional register than the main exhibition. Outside the gates of the Giardini there is currently a lot of geopolitical unrest. I wanted to prevent that unrest from remaining invisible – that my work would appear safer, more pleasant, more palatable than the world outside the park.
With a group of performers we are working on a vocal composition in which they use only their false vocal cords. It sounds a bit like rubbing sandpaper through your ears. I imagine that it will therefore be somewhat louder, less utopian in nature than the main exhibition.
AR Why is the Venice Biennale still important, if at all?
DV I find the Biennale such a striking example of how we try to maintain a sense of control over a changing world, while continuing to see ourselves as neutral bystanders.
For me, the exhibition therefore has a profoundly melancholic meaning – almost like an amusement park for a lost time. You can see very clearly the Western world order as it once was: the progressive ideals of the past and the innocent self-image that we, in the Global North, try to keep intact. Countries that in reality close their borders, declare war on one another or commit genocide stand here harmoniously side-by-side with their doors open. The horror is carefully kept at bay. If you want to understand how our privileged part of the world is handling its nightmares, the Venice Biennale is of indispensable value.
AR What role does a national pavilion play at a time of increasing confrontational nationalisms? Is it about expressing difference or commonality?
DV The national pavilion is a dramaturgical gift. It embodies the renewed emphasis on national interests that is reemerging after 80 years of international integration and stability. The American pavilion is perhaps the most honest about that this year: they will be ‘showcasing American excellence’.
AR Who, for you, is the most important artist (in any discipline) that your country has produced?
DV There are so many radical artists for whom I have enormous respect. Let me mention Hieronymus Bosch, the medieval painter known for his disturbing depictions of sin, hell and human folly.
AR What is something you want people to know about your nation that they might not know already?
DV Two things come to mind. 1. The Netherlands supplies the service dogs used by the Israeli army. 2. The International Court of Justice is located in the Netherlands.
AR Given that you are exhibiting in a national pavilion, is there something (a quality or an issue or attitude) that distinguishes the art of that nation from that of others? That makes it particular? Are there specific contexts that it responds to? Or do you think that art is a universal language that goes beyond social, political or geographic boundaries?
DV The Netherlands likes to present itself as a progressive, accessible, forward-thinking country. The Rietveld pavilion, built just after the Second World War, is a good example of this. It shows how the Netherlands saw itself at the time: a proud representative of the ‘free Western world’. The clear lines, the open windows, the admission of light – for me these also speak to clarity of mind, thoughtfulness and a reduction to the absolute essentials.
I think we are currently standing on a fault line; in the Netherlands too, reactionary impulses are gaining ground again. Protectionism is tightening its grip.
AR What, other than art, are you looking forward to seeing – or doing – while you are in Venice?
DV I hope to swim in the sea every morning, to stay calm.
AR Could you give us a brief overview of your average working day while creating your presentation in Venice?
DV We are working in two places at the same time. The technical team is currently working on the architectural intervention. I can’t say too much yet, but let’s just say they are draping a steel veil over the building. Meanwhile in Amsterdam we are rehearsing the work with a fantastic group of 13 performers — vocalists capable of producing an absolute darkness with their voices. They bring their own artistic practices into the rehearsals, which is incredibly inspiring. We work all day long. My email is on auto-reply.
AR Can art really change the world?
DV No, art is a way to stay with the trouble.
The 61st Venice Biennale runs 9 May through 22 November 2026
