Brazil Taps Rosana Paulino and Adriana Varejão for 2026 Venice Biennale

Overview

• Fundação Bienal de São Paulo announced the duo’s selection for the Brazilian Pavilion, which is scheduled to open on May 9, 2026.
• The pavilion title draws from a popular saying and the Dieffenbachia plant, used here as a metaphor for protection, toxicity, and resilience, according to the announcement.
• Rosana Paulino’s practice centers Black women’s experiences and memory in Brazil, a focus she has sustained over three decades.
• Adriana Varejão is known for works that reveal viscera beneath Portuguese tile motifs, connecting to Brazil’s colonial past.
• Both artists framed their collaboration as a dialogue on colonial wounds, while Lima brings recent leadership at the Bienal de São Paulo and a role on Documenta’s advisory board.