Photo: German Larkin
The art world has descended en masse on the Serenissima for its traditional Biennale pilgrimage, eager to take in the season’s latest artistic sensations and equally heroic portions of baccalà mantecato. This year’s exhibition, In Minor Keys, unfolded under a more somber note, marked by the untimely passing of its curator, Koyo Kouoh. In her absence, her circle of collaborators carried the vision forward.
Mirroring the world’s current disquiet and turbulence, the broader atmosphere hasn’t exactly been serene, as controversies have swirled like lagoon tides, sparking no shortage of animated debate. And yet, a spirit of openness and hope manages to hold its ground. Nowhere was that more palpable than at the Chanel Next Prize dinner on Wednesday evening; the glittering, golden ticket of the Biennale’s opening days, where the prevailing mood suggested that art, and an excellent guest list brimming with the crème de la crème of the art world, might still have the last word.
Hosted by Yana Peel, president of arts, culture, and heritage at Chanel, the dinner honored the 2026 Chanel Next Prize laureates: ten young artists boldly redrawing the boundaries of their disciplines, each accompanied by a rather persuasive €100,000 vote of confidence.
The evening held court inside Palazzo Giustinian Brandolini, the family home of collector, artist, and all-round Renaissance spirit, Marcantonio Brandolini, who is also the creative force behind Laguna-B; a glass house famed for its delightfully whimsical, handblown creations. For this year’s Next Prize, Brandolini turned his hand to designing the actual prize awarded to each of the laureates. His chromatic glass works and playful array of traditional Murano miniatures and figurines were displayed alongside grand family heirlooms, while artful floral tableaux lent the setting an exquisite touch.
Peel’s toast struck a buoyant note, celebrating the irrepressible energy of the Next Prize winners, the Biennale’s impressively global turnout, and, perhaps most importantly, the stubborn, necessary hope that art sustains, even when the world feels in turmoil. “The ten winners hail from ten countries, and this year’s Biennale features a record 99 pavilions,” she remarked. “Tonight, there is genuine joy in seeing friends gathered here from so many of those places, a testament to the reach and enduring relevance of the arts.”
