May 9–November 22, 2026
Fondazione Querini Stampalia
Venice 30122
Italy
The groundbreaking first Nauru National Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale is approaching its conclusion. To mark this occasion, the pavilion is pleased to announce a key event: a book launch at the Querini Stampalia Foundation on November 19, 2026 at 6pm. The event will feature the publications emerging from the pavilion experience, including its two-volume catalogue and a major publication by one of the participating artists, Stefano Cagol. The presentation will be followed by a special evening visit and a champagne reception at the pavilion. The Biennale Finissage week will kick off with a special Monday opening during regular hours, with the exhibition running until November 22.
The Nauru National Pavilion
Commissioning Authority: Ministry of National Heritage, Culture, and Tourism, Republic of Nauru; Curator: Khaled Ramadan; Associate Curators: Camilla Boemio, Stefano Cagol; Artists: Kauw Tsitsi (Nauru), Chamber of Public Secrets (Ramadan and Cramerotti. Denmark-Qatar), Patricia Jacomella Bonola (Switzerland), Tedo Rekhviashvili (Georgia), Sylvia Grace Borda (Canada), Ron Laboray (United States), Dorian Batycka (Poland), Khaled Hafez (Egypt), Iv Toshain (Austria), Stefano Cagol (Italy)
The first National Pavilion of the Republic of Nauru represents a significant landmark. Located at Calle Bosello 3683, the Pavilion is expected to welcome more than 80,000 visitors by its close. The extraordinary public response, far exceeding the general Biennale records for national pavilions in the city center, is a testament to the success of the exhibition project.
AIM Inundated: Imagining Life After Land positions Nauru as a global example, a compelling lens through which to examine the planetary challenges of our time. A century of intensive phosphate mining has transformed much of the island’s interior, while the climate crisis and rising sea levels place further pressure on its territory. Through the artworks and curatorial framework, the Pavilion explores the legacies of extraction, climate vulnerability, the depletion of resources, and the erosion of memory and culture. It brings Nauru from the margins of global attention to the centre of a wider reflection on the interconnected ecological and political conditions shaping our collective future.
Pavilion catalogue
The event at the auditorium of the Querini Stampalia Foundation will present the catalogue of the Nauru National Pavilion, AIM Inundated: Imagining Life After Land, consisting of two volumes and documenting the country’s first participation in the 61st Venice Biennale. Together, they present the curatorial approach, the participating artists and their works, as well as the ideas and reflections emerging from the Pavilion. The first volume centres on the curatorial essays by Khaled Ramadan and Camilla Boemio, accompanied by images of the exhibition and the installed artworks, alongside contributions from the artists and thinkers connected to the project. The second volume, developed in collaboration with Iuav University of Venice, offers an extensive behind-the-scenes perspective, featuring backstage images and in-depth interviews with each participating artist and curator. Among the interns, Virginia Rimondi contributed as an editor and designer and Nicola Zanellato as a photographer. Both volumes will be available for open-access download on the Pavilion's website.
Stefano Cagol’s Signal to the Future
The event will also present Signal to the Future. The Signal as a Planetary Language, a major publication by participating artist Stefano Cagol. It is published by Kerber Verlag Berlin with the support of BrixenCultur and the Italian Cultural Institute Zurich. Investigating Cagol’s recent research on fire, ecology, technology and the Anthropocene, the publication also deals with both his artworks presented in the Pavilion and The Ice Monolith – After Land, realized in Venice public spaces. Through documentation of key works and artistic research, the publication offers a broader reflection on how Cagol’s practice engages with the complexities of human impact on the planet, connecting urgent anthropogenic conditions with shared experiences and collective reflections on the future. The book includes contributions by, among others, Timothy Morton, Veit Loers, Alessandro Castiglioni and Emanuele Quinz.
Press office: Lightbox
Press enquiries: press@lightboxgroup.net, press@nauru-biennalevenezia.com
