Female nudity and art that stinks: key takeways from Venice Biennale 2026

Despite a call for calm, a combustible mix of politics and protest punctuated the preview week across the pavilions Every two years the art world assembles in Venice for a sprawling celebration of visual arts at which countries “compete” against one another for the prize of best national pavilion. It is a barometer of taste, a shop window for artists and the industry’s biggest get-together – once described by the art historian Lawrence Alloway as an “orgy of contact and communication”. This y...

By Alex Needham, Charlotte Higgins and Lanre Bakare in Venice

Gaza at the Venice Biennale: Where language falls short, threads take over

I co-commissioned the Gaza Genocide Tapestry which will be displayed at the Venice Biennale. Here's the story behind it.

Venice Biennale art exhibition jury quits over Israeli and Russian participation

Geopolitical tensions spilled over into the Venice Biennale art exhibition

By Colleen Barry

Eurovision: Is the boycott over Israel the beginning of the end for the song contest?

In 2016, 60 years after the first Eurovision took place in Lugano Switzerland, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus presented song contest bosses with the Charlemagne Prize highlighting its contribution to European unity.

Amid a boycott and with past winners steering clear, what can we expect from Eurovision 2026?

Five countries that traditionally take part aren’t sending an act while Ireland, Spain and Slovenia are ignoring the contest altogether and won’t be braodcasting the shows.