In Minor Keys: Finding Intimacy and Identity at the 61st Venice Biennale — and in Your Collection

By Nana Japaridze

As we pass the midway mark of the 61st Venice Biennale, we reflect on the late Koyo Kouoh's powerful curatorial vision, In Minor Keys. By moving away from loud spectacles, the Biennale asks us to look closer at quiet introspection and personal identity—themes beautifully echoed in works by Louise Bourgeois, Alberto Giacometti, and Eva Claessens.

In August 2026, the global art world continues its steady migration to the floating city. As we cross the midway point of the 61st Venice Biennale, which runs until November 22, it is a crucial time to reflect on the most important cultural event of the year—and how its prevailing themes are shaping the contemporary art market and collector sensibilities.

Curated under the title In Minor Keys, this year's main exhibition is a poignant realization of the vision of the late Koyo Kouoh. Following her passing in 2025, her dedicated curatorial team brought her framework to life. True to its musical title, the exhibition deliberately shifts away from the booming spectacles that have occasionally dominated past biennials. Instead, it invites viewers into spaces of quiet introspection, focusing on intimate narratives, memory, and the fragile construction of identity.

But how do these philosophical currents ripple into the broader art market? We are observing a significant shift in acquisition trends. Collectors are increasingly seeking artworks that offer emotional resonance and psychological depth over sheer visual volume.

To help navigate this shift, we have curated a selection of works currently available at Composition Gallery that harmonize perfectly with the themes of In Minor Keys. These pieces demonstrate how artists across different eras and mediums have explored the quiet, sometimes painful, but always profound act of defining the self.

The Weight of Memory and Family

The Biennale's emphasis on personal narrative and the ghosts of our past is powerfully reflected in printmaking. In Louise Bourgeois's Autobiographical Series 10 (1994, Etching, €6,750), an intimate scene gathered around a bathtub emerges in soft grey and black tones. Published by Peter Blum Edition and printed by Harlan & Weaver, Bourgeois transforms the private bathroom into a stage for vulnerability, proving that the most profound psychological weight often exists in our most domestic rituals.

Similarly, Zhang Xiaogang's Brother and Sister (2006, from the Bloodline portfolio, Lithograph, £3,300) explores the ties of family and heritage. Through his signature grayscale and fine red lines connecting the siblings, Zhang creates a solemn portrait that evokes a sense of quiet alienation and introspection, bridging personal memory with the collective history of China.

The Self and the Surroundings

How we fit into—or disappear within—our environment is another prevailing theme in Venice this year. Liu Bolin's Hide in the City No. 37 (2007, Photograph, €15,400) tackles this literal and figurative erasure. By camouflaging himself against a wall covered in Chinese propaganda text, Bolin creates a visual commentary on conformity and the tension between the individual and modern society—quiet not in tone, but in method: an act of literal silence and disappearance.

In a different era and medium, Nan Goldin's Suzanne With Mona Lisa, Mexico City 1981 (reprinted 2025 from the original 1981 image, C-print, £3,000) captures a moment steeped in psychological depth. Bathed in a deep red hue, the subject's faint reflection in a vintage mirror next to a Mona Lisa reproduction creates a dialogue between classical serenity and contemporary emotional tension.

Introspection in Form

Sometimes, the search for identity is an entirely solitary, inward journey. Alberto Giacometti's Dans Le Miroir (1964, Lithograph, $6,700) is a masterpiece of minimalistic introspection. The lithograph depicts a contemplative figure, rendered with Giacometti's expressive lines, seeming to gaze into an unseen mirror. It strips away all noise, focusing entirely on the raw essence of human presence and self-perception.

Finally, contemporary sculptor Eva Claessens beautifully physicalizes this inwardness in her 2026 marble work, Se reconnaitre comme un souffle (To recognize oneself as a breath, inquire for price). A single figure folds inward, the lower body smooth and polished, while the head erupts into a lacy, ruffled crown that dissolves into pure air. It is identity giving way to something weightless—a unique work of inward stillness made permanent.

As we look toward the bustling autumn art fairs and the final months of the Biennale, the lessons of In Minor Keys offer a guiding principle for collectors: look beyond the immediate visual impact and tune into the deeper frequencies of the artwork.

Whether you plan to visit Venice before November, or are curating your collection from home, Composition Gallery is dedicated to helping you discover artworks that resonate on a profoundly personal level.

The 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys, runs through 22 November 2026 at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and various locations across Venice. More details at labiennale.org.