FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.   30 July 2025

Grenada Pavilion at the 61st Biennale di Venezia (2026)
The Poetics of Correspondence
Presented in dialogue with the main exhibition theme “In Minor Keys” curated by Koyo Kouoh

Venice, Italy — Grenada is proud to announce its participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia with The Poetics of Correspondence, an evocative exhibition that resonates deeply with the late Koyo Kouoh’s curatorial call to attend to the quieter tonalities of artmaking—those of intimacy, endurance, and relation.

Taking up Kouoh’s invitation to listen “beyond the dominant frequencies of spectacle,” The Poetics of Correspondenceforegrounds artistic practices rooted not in proclamation, but in relation. Informed by the philosophical poetics of Édouard Glissant and anthropologist Tim Ingold, this exhibition engages art as a living, breathing correspondence—a social and aesthetic process in which artists co-create with their communities, their environments, and each other.

Rather than imposing a singular vision, the Pavilion becomes a space of murmurs and murmuration—a chorus of shared breath, collaborative gestures, and polyphonic narratives. Here, artworks are not declarations, but offerings: open-ended, slow-forming, intimate acts of attention. As Kouoh writes, “The minor refuses orchestral bombast… it comes alive in the quiet tones, the lower frequencies, the hums…”

The Poetics of Correspondence responds with humility and depth to this ethos, privileging process over product, and connectivity over closure. The exhibition proposes a minor stance—not of scale, but of sensibility. This is an art that listens, that carries, that corresponds.

Curated by Daniele Radini Tedeschi with research assistance from Asher Mains, the Grenada Pavilion extends an invitation to linger in these poetic exchanges. In an age of fragmentation and acceleration, it asks: What might it mean to make art as a form of shared life? How do we sustain one another—not only through answers, but through the questions we dare to hold together?

Commissioner Susan Mains asserts “Grenada is coming into an era of  new maturity for art. This is our ninth appearance as a pavilion in Venice, so we hold ourselves to a high standard.” 

The Grenada Pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2026 becomes a space of encounter and sustenance—where correspondence becomes not only a mode of communication, but an ethic of being. Therefore an open call goes out to artists to join the conversation.  Please click link for the free application.  https://forms.gle/xFMw33TnVuAUBmdR8

Media Contact:
Susan Mains
Grenada National Pavilion – Biennale Arte 2026
Email: Grenadavenice@gmail.com
Website: GrenadaVenice.org

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The Library in the Spotlight

On May 8, 2025, the Grenada Pavilion opened at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, marking a significant moment in the nation’s cultural engagement on the world stage. Under the theme “Echoes of Knowledge: Reawakening the National Library,” the pavilion addresses the long-standing closure of Grenada’s historic Public Library and National Archives, which has remained unused since 2011 due to damage from Hurricane Ivan. 

Commissioned by Dr. Susan Mains, with curators Fulvio Caputo and Luisa Flora, the pavilion presents a comprehensive study and design proposal for revitalizing the library. The input of Grenadian architect Irina Kostka-DaSilva was invaluable. Mapping the community desire, she surveyed the Grenadian population, receiving reponses in art work, poetry and photography.  

Doctoral candidate with European Graduate School and artist, Asher Mains, provided a written treaties highlighting the very need for libraries for a culture and people to grow. This initiative emphasizes the library’s role as a cultural and educational hub, integrating sustainable architectural practices and community involvement to envision a future-oriented institution that resonates with Grenada’s social and environmental context. 

The pavilion garnered a visit from the international jury of the Biennale Architettura 2025, led by Hans Ulrich Obrist, with members Paola Antonelli and Mpho Matsipa. The International Jury of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is composed of Hans Ulrich Obrist (President), Swiss curator, critic, and art historian, Artistic Director of the Serpentine in London; Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and Director, Research and Development at MoMA in New York; and Mpho Matsipa, South African architect, lecturer, and curator. Ms Antonelli mentioned that she remembered the Grenada Art pavilion from 2024. 

While  the Kingdom of Bahrain received the Golden Lion for Best National Participation, the Grenada Pavilion’s focus on cultural restoration and community engagement was noted as a meaningful contribution to the Biennale’s overarching theme, “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.” 

Representing the Minister of Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Senator Adrian Thomas, Dr. Oliver Benoit remarked  “This is a great first step towards the necessary work of restoring and reopening the National Library.  The follow on will take the expertise and skills of many.  The determination of all those involved is notable.”

Grenada’s continued participation in the Venice Biennale underscores its commitment to cultural diplomacy and the global discourse on architecture and heritage. By spotlighting the restoration of a vital public institution, the pavilion not only addresses local concerns but also contributes to international conversations about the preservation and evolution of cultural landmarks in the face of environmental and societal challenges.  The pavilion was made possible by funding from the Grenada National Lotteries, the Grenada Tourism Authority, and many corporate and personal sponsors from Italy, Grenada, and beyond. 

The Grenada Pavilion in Venice will remain open until the end of Novemeber, Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm.  Free entrance.    See website grenadavenice.org