Culture Minister Fadli Zon Discusses Indonesia Pavilion Readiness at Venice Biennale 2026
Culture Minister Fadli Zon hosted a discussion with several artists who will participate in Venice Biennale 2026. The discussion took place at the Ministry of Culture’s office in Jakarta, and it covered the readiness of Indonesia’s art contingent for participation in the international visual arts event.
In the meeting, preparations were discussed, from the concept of works to the strategy for presenting Indonesian art on the global stage.
The minister emphasised that the Venice Biennale is a very important event for the development of global visual arts. It is also a strategic space to showcase the face of Indonesian art and culture to international audiences.
“This is also an opportunity to promote our culture. There are many talents and the great artists as well,” Fadli said in a written statement on Friday (6/3/2026).
In addition to displaying works by artists, the Indonesian Pavilion is also planned to present a range of Indonesian visual art books as part of the reference space during the exhibition. The inclusion of these books is hoped to provide a means to introduce the wealth of Indonesia’s art traditions to international visitors.
Fadli stated that through these books, visitors can see the diversity of genres, styles, and schools of Indonesian visual art that have developed over time.
He also explained that Indonesian visual art is part of ancestral traditional heritage that has evolved for a long time and forms an important part of the nation’s cultural identity.
“Just on January 22, the oldest cave painting in the world was declared to be in Indonesia, aged 67,800 years. So the tradition (of visual art) is not new, but a long-standing tradition found in Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and Sumatra,” he said.
He also appointed Aminuddin TH Siregar, known as Ucok and who is the curator of the Indonesian National Gallery, as the curator of the Indonesian Pavilion for the event. For this edition, Indonesia plans to send 14 artists to showcase their works on the international visual arts stage.
Aminuddin explained that the concept of presenting the Indonesian Pavilion is not only to display the artists’ works but also to present the historical context and development of Indonesian visual art. This will be presented through a variety of graphic references and visual archives that record the journey of visual arts in the country.
“The idea is to show several graphic works related to Indonesia in the past, including old books, lithographs, and other visual materials that can give an overview of the development of Indonesian visual art,” Aminuddin explained.
Also accompanying Fadli on this occasion were Deputy Culture Minister Giring Ganesha Djumaryo, Director General for Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation Endah T.D. Retno Astuti, and Director of Cultural Promotion Undri.
As information, the main Venice Biennale 2026 exhibition will open to the public on May 9, 2026 and will run until November 22, 2026. In this edition, the Indonesia Pavilion is planned to be housed in a graphic arts school building in Venice, different from several previous editions which occupied the main exhibition area.
Indonesia’s participation in the Venice Biennale 2026 is also part of strengthening the arts ecosystem under the National Talent Management framework developed by the Ministry of Culture. The program includes five main ecosystems: literature, visual arts, performing arts, film, and music.
The process of selecting the artists to participate is conducted through a rigorous curatorial process. This step aims to recruit young talents and broaden their networks at a global level.
Indonesia has been confirmed to participate again in the Venice Biennale 2026 after a six-year absence. This participation forms part of cultural diplomacy and strengthening government soft power through the Ministry of Culture to introduce Indonesian art and culture on the world stage.
Through this participation, the government hopes Indonesian visual art will be more widely known internationally while also opening opportunities for collaboration and global networks for Indonesian artists.
(akn/ega)