Luxembourg Showcases Aline Bouvy’s 'La Merde' at 61st Venice Biennale

On Thursday 7 and Friday 8 May 2026, Eric Thill, Luxembourg’s Minister for Culture, travelled to the 61st International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, in Venice, Italy where Luxembourg is represented by Luxembourgish artist Aline Bouvy and her project “La Merde”.

According to the Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture, the minister attended the official opening of the Luxembourg pavilion at the Arsenale. During his speech at the official opening ceremony, Eric Thill recalled that “the Ministry of Culture’s commitment to artistic freedom of expression is essential” and that this commitment “must be defended day after day, particularly in geopolitical contexts that may constrain, instrumentalise or even render artistic creation invisible”.

The Luxembourg pavilion, organised by Kultur | lx and curated by Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain, presents an immersive cinematic installation this year, exploring notions of shame, marginalisation and social norms. The minister praised “a work that is both radical, infused with humour and thought provoking”, as well as the boldness of the artist, noted the ministry.

The ministry said that this 61st edition of the Venice Biennale is taking place in a particularly tense international context, marked by several debates surrounding the role of art in relation to contemporary geopolitical conflicts. According to the ministry, this makes culture essential as a space for freedom of expression, reflection and democratic dialogue.

In this context, Minister Thill reaffirmed Luxembourg’s support for Ukraine and its artists, as Russian attacks on Ukrainian cultural heritage and attempts to instrumentalise culture within the framework of the war continue to raise strong concerns at European level. In Venice, Minister Thill met with Tetyana Berezhna, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policies and Minister of Culture of Ukraine.

Alongside the inauguration, Minister Thill met participants in the “Take Off Venice” mentoring programme, an initiative by Kultur | lx aimed at supporting young Luxembourgish talents in discovering international contemporary art networks.

In addition to the opening of the Luxembourg pavilion, the official delegation visited several national pavilions, including those of Belgium, Germany, France, Canada, Austria and Switzerland.

The 61st Venice Biennale Art Exhibition is open to the public from Saturday 9 May to 22 November 2026.