History looms large at the 2026 Venice Biennale, where the official curatorial framework – focused on contemplative, alternative voices from the “Global South” – has inspired many artists to draw from, come to terms with, and reveal personal perspectives within history.

This is strongly reflected in a number of memorable exhibitions by artists of Asian heritage. While sidestepping cultural essentialism, these practitioners focus on sidelined perspectives and offer fresh ways of thinking amid global crises.

The scope of these exhibitions is vast, ranging from a queer father using dolls to articulate the profound psychological shifts of raising twins, to a 75-year-old woman contemplating the existential realities of ageing, mortality and rest.

We have rounded up a dozen of the best exhibitions featuring Asian voices in Venice. This list, though by no means exhaustive, highlights the most talked-about pavilions as well as independent collateral exhibitions.

The pavilions

Japan

Japanese-American performance artist Ei Arakawa-Nash’s interactive “Grass Babies, Moon Babies” is one of the most popular pavilions at Venice this year. The artist draws on his queer, diasporic perspective and his recent experience of becoming a parent to twins.