In 2026, Venice adds a new chapter to its cultural history. For the first time, the Gallerie dell’Accademia host a major solo exhibition by a living woman artist. And the choice is anything but accidental: Marina Abramović, the undisputed pioneer of performance art, has chosen the lagoon city to celebrate her 80th birthday with Transforming Energy, an exhibition that goes beyond the traditional format to become a true experience.
The opening is scheduled for May 6, 2026, during the Venice Biennale, and the exhibition will remain open until October 19, 2026. A long timeframe, designed to allow visitors to slow down and take the time they need. Because here, you don’t just look: you take part.
A unique dialogue between performance and timeless masterpieces
For the first time, a contemporary artist occupies both the permanent collection spaces and the temporary exhibition areas of the Gallerie dell’Accademia. The result is a powerful dialogue between artistic languages distant in time yet surprisingly close in meaning.
The common thread is the body. The body as matter, as limit, as a vehicle of energy. A theme that runs through Abramović’s entire body of work and finds a direct comparison with the Venetian Renaissance, where the body has always been a central narrative and emotional element.
Transforming Energy: not an exhibition, but an experience
At the heart of the project is Transforming Energy. Abramović invites the audience to engage with art actively through her Transitory Objects: stone and crystal structures that respond to human presence. Here, the artwork is never passive. It is you, with your body, who completes it.
Alongside these immersive installations, the exhibition includes some of the artist’s most iconic performances:
- Rhythm 0 (1974), an extreme reflection on limits and vulnerability
- Imponderabilia (1977), where the body becomes a threshold
- Balkan Baroque (1997), an intense meditation on war and memory
- Carrying the Skeleton (2008), intimate and symbolic
A journey that asks for no explanations, only presence.
Abramović and Titian: 450 years in a single gaze
One of the most evocative moments of the exhibition is the direct dialogue with Tiziano Vecellio. Abramović’s Pietà (with Ulay) is presented in conversation with Titian’s final, deeply moving Pietà, painted between 1575 and 1576.
Four hundred and fifty years later, pain, loss and transformation speak the same language. The medium changes, the emotion remains. Here, Venice once again proves its unique ability to bring past and present together without forcing the connection.
Venice, a lifelong bond
For Abramović, Venice is not simply an exhibition venue. It is a place of the soul. Her first visit to the Biennale as a teenager, the Golden Lion she received in 1997, and her return today to celebrate a personal and historic milestone all converge here.
It is no coincidence that she chose Venice to present not only her work, but her method. Transforming Energy does not merely show what Abramović has done, but how she invites each of us to feel, slow down and listen.
Why it is truly worth seeing
If you love contemporary art, this exhibition is unmissable.
If you love Venice, it is a chance to experience the city on a deeper level.
If you are looking for an experience that stays with you — not just another box to tick — Transforming Energy is exactly that.
And after an intense day of art, silence and beauty, finding the right rhythm makes all the difference. Venice can be overwhelming, but it also knows how to offer moments of balance. You just need to know where to find them.
Where to stay in Venice during the exhibition
After an intense experience like Marina Abramović’s exhibition, Venice deserves to be lived with the same calm and awareness. Return to the Arcadia Boutique Hotel, away from the crowds, and treat yourself to a refined, elegant and authentic stay.
Book directly here and give yourself the time you need to absorb emotions, art and silence.
