Scotland will return to the Venice Biennale in 2026

Following a pause in 2024 to review Scotland’s involvement, the Scotland + Venice Partnership are pleased to announce our 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.

Scotland + Venice now encourage applications from across the country through the Open Call for those who would be interested in delivering the project in 2026.

A professional development and invigilator programme will run in 2026 alongside the Venice exhibition, delivered in partnership with Scottish HE/FE institutions. This has been a key success for Scotland + Venice, offering opportunities for students and young creatives. An Open Call process will be announced and promoted later this year.

The Partnership is also committed to exploring opportunities to share the work presented in Venice to audiences in Scotland after the Biennale exhibition closes.

Alastair Evans, Chair, 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.”

Evans continued, “Scotland + Venice presentations have been consistently well-received. Recent presentations have seen impressive attendances in Venice, with over 23,000 visitors to Charlotte Prodger’s presentation in 2019 and nearly 37,000 attending Alberta Whittle’s exhibition in 2022. In 2023, Alberta Whittle’s commission returned to Scotland with a screening tour delivered in partnership with LUX Scotland, and an exhibition at National Galleries of Scotland achieving home audience figures of over 117,000. This work was also acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland following her presentation. We hope that the project for 2026 will deliver similar opportunities for artists and arts audiences both in Scotland and Venice. The Scotland + Venice Partners would like to thank all of those who contributed to the Review.”