Jonasson Odigène (Le Nouvelliste) reminds us that Édouard Duval-Carrié, a native of Port-au-Prince, will represent Haiti at the Venice Biennale, which runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026. Here, Odigène shares information from the Centre d’Art’s recent conversation with the artist about his participation in this artistic exhibition.
The Haitian painter and sculptor is among the 111 artists invited to the 61st International Art Exhibition, which will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026, in Venice, reports the Centre d’Art. A unique opportunity for Haitian painting and sculpture to be represented at one of the largest art showcases in the world.
It is in one of the most emblematic cities of the art world that Haiti’s name will resonate this year. Édouard Duval-Carrié, an internationally renowned Haitian painter and sculptor born in Port-au-Prince, has been selected among the 111 invited participants of the 61st Venice Biennale, one of the most prestigious contemporary art events in the world. The event will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026, and his works will be exhibited at the Central Pavilion of the Giardini, the most central and most coveted space on the site.
This participation is part of the general theme of the edition, entitled In Minor Keys, conceived by the late chief curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away before seeing her project come to fruition. It is her colleague Marie-Hélène Pereira who took over to bring the initiative to completion, in her honor.
Duval-Carrié’s invitation to the Biennale is linked to a striking anecdote. During an edition of Art Basel Miami, Koyo Kouoh had gone to his building to personally hand him the catalog of her exhibition When We See Us, an exhibition for which she had borrowed, without his knowledge, one of his works held at the Pérez Art Museum Miami.
It was during this conversation that the curator revealed to him lesser-known aspects of Haitian history, before inviting him to join the Venetian venture. “The news of my participation was announced to me in a way that was both official and deeply moving. I received a letter from Marie-Hélène Pereira, colleague of the late Koyo Kouoh, who took the initiative to bring this project to completion in her honor, alongside her peers,” the artist explained in an interview with the Centre d’Art.
For Duval-Carrié, this participation carries a dimension that goes beyond simple artistic recognition. It is above all political, memorial, and spiritual. The artist intends to use this participation to “carry a voice from Haiti and the Caribbean,” while emphasizing “often marginalized narratives.”
Moreover, the artist sees in this participation the possibility “to address questions related to history, diaspora, and cultural and spiritual legacies, notably those of Haitian Vodou and the trajectories of the lwa, in a framework where these dimensions can be perceived in all their complexity.” [. . .]
The works he will present are part of the continuity of his artistic practice, centered on questions of memory, history, and Caribbean imaginaries. “Through these pieces, I continue a reflection on displacement, whether forced or voluntary, and on the way it shapes identities, beliefs, and collective memories, particularly in the Haitian and diasporic context,” he specified. [. . .]
For full article, see https://lenouvelliste.com/en/article/265932/edouard-duval-carrie-to-represent-haiti-at-the-2026-venice-biennale
Also see https://www.lecentredart.org/le-centre-dart/qui-sommes-nous/notre-histoire/ and our previous post https://repeatingislands.com/2026/03/01/la-biennale-di-venezia-2026-representation-from-the-caribbean-region/
[Photo of Édouard Duval-Carrié by Stian Roenning/Centre d’Art.]
Jonasson Odigène (Le Nouvelliste) reminds us that Édouard Duval-Carrié, a native of Port-au-Prince, will represent Haiti at the Venice Biennale, which runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026. Here, Odigène shares information from the Centre d’Art’s recent conversation with the artist about his participation in this artistic exhibition. The Haitian painter and sculptor is