Join acclaimed artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons for an insider’s perspective on the 2026 Venice Biennale and her participation in its 61st International Art Exhibition. Through a richly illustrated presentation, Campos-Pons will share insights into her artistic practice and the ideas, inspirations, and creative process behind her work in Venice. 

Presented by María Magdalena Campos-Pons, The Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair Professor of Fine Arts,  Vanderbilt University; MacArthur Fellow 2023; and Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

María Magdalena Campos-Pons is a Cuban-born artist whose multidisciplinary practice encompasses photography, performance, painting, sculpture, film, and video. Drawing on her Nigerian, Hispanic, and Chinese heritage, her deeply autobiographical work explores themes of history, memory, gender, religion, and identity, often engaging with the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and the cultural histories of Cuba. A leading figure of the New Cuban Art movement, Campos-Pons has exhibited and performed internationally, with solo presentations at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Peabody Essex Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, and Tate Modern, and has participated in the Venice Biennale, Documenta 14, and other major international exhibitions. Her work is held in more than 30 museum collections. Campos-Pons is also the founder of the Ríos Intermitentes International Biennale in Matanzas, Cuba, and the award-winning Engine for Art, Democracy, and Justice (EADJ). She is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair Professor of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University, an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a 2023 MacArthur Fellow. 

Image: Anatomy of the Magnolia Tree for Koyo Kouoh and Toni Morrison, The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, In Minor Keys by Koyo Kouoh