Institutional and Geopolitical Instability Characterizing the 2026 Venice Biennale
制度與地緣政治不穩定之 2026 年威尼斯雙年展特徵
Introduction
The 61st Venice Biennale has commenced amidst significant administrative disruptions, diplomatic tensions, and the posthumous execution of its primary curatorial vision.
第 61 屆威尼斯雙年展在嚴重的行政混亂、外交緊張，以及主策展願景於策展人逝世後才執行的情況下開幕。
Main Body
The event's operational framework was compromised prior to its opening by the mass resignation of the prize jury. This collective withdrawal was precipitated by the jurors' refusal to evaluate entries from nations whose leadership is subject to International Criminal Court warrants, specifically Russia and Israel. Consequently, the Biennale Foundation transitioned the selection of two 'Visitors' Lions' to a public vote, while the status of the primary Golden Lion remains undetermined. This institutional instability was further exacerbated by the European Commission's decision to revoke a two-million-euro grant, citing a breach of sanctions regarding the inclusion of the Russian pavilion.
該活動的運作框架在開幕前因評審團集體辭職而受損。這次集體退出是由於評審拒絕評審領導人受國際刑事法院逮捕令追緝的國家，特別是俄羅斯與以色列。因此，雙年展基金會將兩座「訪客金獅獎」的評選改為公眾投票，而主金獅獎的狀態則尚未確定。歐盟委員會決定撤回兩百萬歐元的撥款，理由是納入俄羅斯館違反了制裁規定，使這種制度不穩定性進一步加劇。
Geopolitical friction manifested in physical disruptions during the press previews. The Russian feminist collective Pussy Riot conducted protests against the Kremlin's presence, while the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga) coordinated a strike that resulted in the temporary or total closure of approximately twelve pavilions, including those of Austria, Japan, and Belgium. Furthermore, the South African government excised Gabrielle Goliath's installation from its national pavilion, characterizing the work as excessively divisive regarding the conflict in Gaza.
地緣政治摩擦在新聞預展期間演變為肢體衝突。俄羅斯女權集體 Pussy Riot 針對克里姆林宮的出席採取抗議行動，而「藝術非種族滅絕聯盟」(Anga) 則協調一場罷工，導致約十二個展館暫時或完全關閉，包括奧地利、日本與比利時館。此外，南非政府將 Gabrielle Goliath 的裝置藝術從其國家館中剔除，稱該作品在加薩衝突問題上過於激進而引起分歧。
Curatorial continuity was disrupted by the death of the lead curator, Koyo Kouoh, in May 2025. Her conceptual framework, 'In Minor Keys,' sought to prioritize spiritual repose and the elevation of artists from Africa and its diaspora. In her absence, a five-person committee oversaw the implementation. Critical reception suggests a lack of cohesive synthesis in the Giardini and Arsenale exhibitions, with some observers noting a disconnect between the 'safe' aesthetic of the main show and the prevailing global volatility. Conversely, specific national pavilions exhibited more confrontational themes, such as Florentina Holzinger's exploration of ecological collapse in the Austrian pavilion and the Nonument Group's meditation on militarization in the Slovenian pavilion.
主策展人 Koyo Kouoh 於 2025 年 5 月逝世，導致策展的連續性中斷。她的概念框架「以小調」(In Minor Keys) 旨在優先考慮精神安寧，並提升來自非洲及其離散群體的藝術家。在她缺席的情況下，由一個五人委員會監督執行。評論反應顯示 Giardini 與 Arsenale 展覽缺乏凝聚力的綜合，部分觀察者指出主展演「安全」的美學與當前全球動盪之間存在脫節。相反，特定國家館則展示了更具對抗性的主題，例如 Florentina Holzinger 在奧地利館對生態崩潰的探索，以及 Nonument Group 在斯洛維尼亞館對軍事化的沉思。
Conclusion
The 2026 Biennale remains a site of profound contradiction, where high-concept artistic exploration persists despite systemic administrative failure and acute diplomatic discord.
2026 年雙年展仍是一個充滿深刻矛盾的場所，儘管面臨系統性的行政失敗與劇烈的外交不和，高概念的藝術探索依然持續。
Vocabulary Learning
The Architecture of Nominalization and the 'Stasis' of C2 Discourse
To bridge the gap from B2 to C2, a student must move beyond narrating events (which relies on verbs) to conceptualizing events (which relies on nouns). This text is a masterclass in High-Density Nominalization, a linguistic strategy where processes are frozen into entities to create an air of objectivity, authority, and academic distance.
◈ The Shift from Action to Concept
Observe how the author avoids simple subject-verb-object constructions. Compare these two registers:
- B2 (Narrative): The jury resigned because they didn't want to judge countries that the ICC has warrants against.
- C2 (Nominalized): "This collective withdrawal was precipitated by the jurors' refusal to evaluate entries..."
In the C2 version, "resigning" becomes "collective withdrawal" and "refusing" becomes "the jurors' refusal." By turning verbs into nouns, the writer can then attach precise adjectives (collective, precipitated) that modify the concept of the action, rather than the person acting.
◈ Lexical Precision: The 'Weight' of Nouns
C2 mastery requires the ability to use nouns that encapsulate complex geopolitical or institutional states. Note these specific clusters from the text:
- Institutional Instability (Not just 'problems,' but a systemic failure of structure).
- Curatorial Continuity (The seamless flow of a creative vision over time).
- Cohesive Synthesis (The act of blending disparate elements into a unified whole).
◈ Stylistic Implications: The 'Passive' Authority
By employing nominalization, the author achieves a detachment essential for high-level critique. The phrase "The posthumous execution of its primary curatorial vision" is strikingly C2. It removes the human agent (the curator who died) and focuses on the execution of the vision as a theoretical object. This transforms a tragedy into an administrative observation.
To sound like a C2 expert, stop asking "Who did what?" and start asking "What phenomenon is occurring here?" Convert your verbs into abstract nouns and anchor them with sophisticated modifiers.