▎2026 威尼斯藝術雙年展:當金獅不再是金獅,藝術獎項的政治困境 ▎When the Golden Lion Is No Longer Golden — The Political Dilemma of Art Awards at the 61th Venice Biennale

©La Biennale di Venezia

2026年是第61屆「威尼斯國際藝術雙年展 La Biennale d’arte di Venezia 」每兩年一度國際當代藝術界公認最具份量的展覽舞台,然而,它從不只是一場純粹的藝術盛宴。國際關係、政治角力、資本介入和身份認同之間的拉扯,早已是這個百年展覽無法迴避的狀態。而這一屆,從籌備階段就注定不平靜。

2026 marks the 61st edition of La Biennale d’arte di Venezia — the Venice International Art Biennale — widely regarded as the most significant stage in contemporary art, returning every two years to place the world’s creative pulse under a single roof. Yet it has never been simply about art. International relations, political tensions, the weight of capital, and the ongoing negotiation of identity have long been woven into the fabric of this century-old institution. And this edition, from the very first steps of its preparation, was never going to be quiet.

▍一場策展人離世所留下的遺願展覽 An Exhibition Built on the Vision of a Curator Who Never Saw It Open

本屆總策展人為來自喀麥隆的策展人 Koyo Kouoh,她以「小調 In Minor Keys」作為本屆主題,試圖以一種更幽微、更貼近人體感官與個體記憶的視角,重新叩問當代藝術在這個動盪世界中的存在意義。然而,Kouoh 於 2025 年 5 月因癌症驟逝,在她還來不及親眼目睹展覽開幕的情況下,這場展覽由她親自召集的五人策展顧問團隊接手完成,忠實呈現她生前所擘畫的完整藍圖。

在某種意義上,「小調」這個主題,在她離開之後,更多了一層更難以言說的重量。

Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian curator behind this edition’s theme In Minor Keys, envisioned an exhibition attuned to the sensory, the intimate, and the personal — a quieter register against a turbulent world. She passed away from cancer in May 2025, before the exhibition opened. A team of five curatorial advisers carried her vision forward. In a way, In Minor Keys carries an entirely different weight now that she is gone.

第61屆義大利威尼斯雙年展策展人 科約.庫厄 (Koyo Kouoh) ©Mirjam Kluka

▍評審團集體辭職:一頭不再金光閃閃的獅子 Mass Jury Resignation: A Lion That Lost Its Shine

傳統上,每一屆威尼斯雙年展藝術獎項分為兩大類別——最佳國家館金獅獎主展覽最佳藝術家金獅獎,以及頒發給新興藝術家的銀獅獎與終身成就金獅獎,被公認為當代藝術界的最高榮譽之一,通常會在公眾開幕前頒布。

然而,2026 年的金獅獎,從開幕前就已經命運多舛。

評審團於 4 月 22 日率先發表聲明,宣告將把「領導人目前遭國際刑事法院(ICC)起訴」的國家——即以色列與俄羅斯——排除在評選資格之外。雙年展主辦方隨即表示無法接受這樣的評選框架。局面僵持不下,評審團在開幕前夕、4 月 30 日,以集體辭職作為回應。

Traditionally, the Venice Biennale awards two Golden Lions — one for the best national pavilion and one for the best artist in the central exhibition — along with the Silver Lion and a Lifetime Achievement award, recognized as some of the highest honors in contemporary art and it is usually announced before the public opening.

In 2026, however, the fate of the Golden Lion was sealed before the Biennale even opened. The jury announced it would exclude countries whose leaders faced charges at the International Criminal Court — namely Israel and Russia. The Biennale’s organizers refused to accept this. On April 30, the jury collectively resigned.

▍金獅讓位,「 觀眾票選獅 」登場——藝術界的民主實驗還是政治妥協? Enter the “Visitor Lion” — Democratic Experiment or Political Compromise?

評審團辭職後,主辦方宣布廢除傳統金獅獎與銀獅獎,改設〖 觀眾票選獅 Visitor Lions 〗,開放所有購票入場並同時參觀兩大主展區(Giardini 與 Arsenale)的觀眾投票,最終結果將於 11 月 22 日閉幕當天公布,俄羅斯與以色列兩館也重新納入票選範圍。

消息一出,藝術界的反彈聲浪幾乎是即刻的。

開幕當天,超過 81 位主展覽參展藝術家,以及包含法國、西班牙、賽普勒斯、厄瓜多在內的 16 個國家館策展人與藝術家,聯合發表聲明退出票選競賽,以實際行動聲援辭職的評審團。藝術史學家 Antonia Majaca 在 e-flux 平台上寫道:「最終的結果是一場大眾投票,卻沒有任何人需要為結果負責。」——一頭活生生的狗,真的好過一頭死去的獅子嗎?

After the jury’s resignation, organizers scrapped the Golden and Silver Lions entirely, replacing them with Visitor Lions— open to any ticket holder who visited both Giardini and Arsenale. Results will be announced at the closing on November 22. Israel and Russia were reinstated as eligible participants.

The backlash was immediate: 81 artists from the central exhibition and representatives from 16 national pavilions withdrew from the competition in solidarity with the resigned jury. As art historian Antonia Majaca wrote on e-flux: “The result: a mass vote in which no one bears responsibility for the outcome.”

2024年第60屆威尼斯雙年展藝術獎金師得主們

澳洲原住民藝術家Archie Moore。©La Biennale di Venezia
英國的奈及利亞藝術家卡莉瑪‧阿莎杜(Karimah Ashadu)。
©La Biennale di Venezia
阿根廷藝術家喬菈波‧夫萊特(La Chola Poblete)。
©La Biennale di Venezia
紐西蘭藝術團體「Mataaho Collective」。©La Biennale di Venezia
巴西藝術家安娜‧瑪莉亞‧麥歐利諾(Anna Maria Maiolino)。
©La Biennale di Venezia
土耳其藝術家尼爾‧亞爾特(Nil Yalter)。©La Biennale di Venezia

▍那你會問,2026 威尼斯雙年展還值得去看嗎? So you will ask, is the 2026 Venice Biennale Still Worth Visiting?

答案是,絕對值得。

爭議,從來都是藝術的一部份。甚至可以說,當一場展覽能夠讓政治、倫理、美學與公眾輿論同時陷入激烈的辯論,它本身就已經完成了某種意義上最重要的藝術任務——讓人們無法保持沉默。此刻走進 Giardini 的花園,走進 Arsenale 的舊軍械庫,你所觀看的,不只是牆上的作品,而是一個時代正在發生的事。

Absolutely. The answer is positive.

Controversy has always been part of art. When an exhibition can simultaneously ignite debates about politics, ethics, aesthetics, and public opinion, it has already accomplished something essential — it has made silence impossible. To walk through the Giardini and the Arsenale today is not only to see works on walls. It is to witness something happening in real time.

威尼斯主要雙展場路線圖
Venice Biennale TWO main Venues Map

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