Trasformazione dell'energia, Exhibition Galleries of the Academy of Venice, Venice

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Trasformazione dell'energia

From 6 May to 19 October 2026

Galleries of the Academy of Venice

Campo della Carita, 1050, Venice

Closed now: open at 08:15

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The internationally renowned artist Marina Abramović will make history in 2026 as the first living female artist to be celebrated with a major exhibition at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy, presented on the occasion of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, will open on May 6, 2026, and will remain open until October 19, 2026. The exhibition marks the artist's 80th birthday and establishes a profound dialogue between her pioneering performance art and the Renaissance masterpieces that have shaped Venice's cultural identity. Curated by Shai Baitel, Artistic Director of the Modern Art Museum (MAM) in Shanghai, in close collaboration with the artist, the exhibition unfolds both in the rooms of the permanent collection and in the spaces of temporary exhibitions — an absolute novelty in the history of the Institute — placing Abramović's research at the very heart of the Venetian heritage. At the core of Transforming Energy lies the encounter between past and present, material and immaterial, body and spirit. Visitors are invited to experience a series of interactive Transitory Objects — beds and stone structures with embedded crystals — by lying down, sitting, or standing on them, activating what Abramović defines as "energy transmission." Iconic works such as Imponderabilia (1977), Rhythm 0 (1974), Light/Dark (1977), Balkan Baroque (1997), and Carrying the Skeleton (2008) are juxtaposed with projections of historical performances, while new creations made for the occasion highlight her long exploration of resistance, vulnerability, and transformation. One of the highlights of the exhibition is the presentation of Pietà (with Ulay) (1983), placed in direct dialogue with Tiziano's Pietà (ca. 1575-76), the artist's last unfinished masterpiece, completed by Palma il Giovane. This historic juxtaposition, 450 years after Tiziano's Pietà, reinterprets Renaissance typologies of pain, transcendence, and redemption through a contemporary lens, emphasizing the enduring role of the human body as a site of suffering and spiritual elevation. In Venice — a city that has represented a crossroads of cultures, trades, and precious materials for centuries — Abramović's use of quartz, amethyst, and other natural elements recalls the history of Venetian mosaic and the Renaissance quest for transformation, both material and metaphysical. Placing the visitor's body at the center of the work, the exhibition invites a form of "prolonged" observation, less passive and more oriented towards presence, participation, and the possibility of inner change.

From 29 March to 10 January 2027

Michael Armitage

Palazzo Grassi, Venice

From 9 May to 22 November 2026

Personal Structures — Confluences

European Cultural Centre, Venice

From 6 October to 26 October 2026

Caresses under the rain. Francesca Chiola, Stefania Delli Compagni

Genesis Space, L'Aquila

From 20 September to 21 October 2026

Caterina Lai - Traces of earth and wind

Museum of Organic Environmental Art, Tempio Pausania

	opens - closes	last entry
monday	08:15 - 14:00
tuesday	08:15 - 19:15
wednesday	08:15 - 19:15
thursday	08:15 - 19:15
friday	08:15 - 19:15
saturday	08:15 - 19:15
sunday	08:15 - 19:15

Trasformazione dell'energia

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