Performance artist to represent Belgium at Venice Biennale for first time
Belgian artist Miet Warlop and curator Caroline Dumalin have been selected to represent Belgium at the 2026 Venice Biennale with their performance piece It Never SSST. This is the first time Belgium has selected a performance artist to represent the country at the prestigious event.
The selection process was competitive, with 21 artist-curator duos submitting their proposals. By December, the jury had narrowed it down to three pairs and Warlop and Dumalin’s proposal won due to its innovative approach and strong visual language.
Art tradition
The Venice Biennale is one of the world’s most important platforms for contemporary visual arts. Performance art has long been a part of the Flemish art scene, and the interdisciplinary nature of Warlop’s work highlights this tradition.
It Never SSST explores themes such as performance pressure in modern society, language, rituals and the bending of rules. With a high-energy, rock ‘n’ roll spirit, the performance captures the chaotic state of today’s world.
"Art should be at the centre of society, challenging people and bringing them together"
The interactive nature of the piece is another feature, as visitors will be drawn into its rhythm upon entering the space. The jury praised Warlop’s ability to create a powerful visual experience, noting that her work brings a fresh and dynamic perspective to Belgium’s Biennale presentation.
“Art should be at the centre of society, challenging people and bringing them together," said Flemish Culture minister Caroline Gennez. “In a mass event like the Venice Biennale, that is a challenging task. We are convinced that Miet Warlop can do it.”
Warlop has been active in the art world for more than two decades. She earned a master’s degree in visual arts from KASK in Ghent and gained early recognition in 2004, winning the young talent prize at the Theater aan Zee festival in Ostend.
In 2014, she founded her company, Irene Wool, based in Molenbeek in Brussels. Her career gained international traction with her piece One Song, which premiered at the Avignon Festival in 2022.
She is now preparing for the premiere of her new show, Delirium, at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels in May.
Dumalin, who will curate the project, is the artistic director of MORPHO in Antwerp, an organisation dedicated to supporting artists' development and mobility both locally and internationally. She has previously worked at Wiels contemporary art centre in Brussels and as an independent curator for arts festival Europalia.
Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian curator of the exhibition When We See Us at Bozar in Brussels, will be the first African woman to curate the Venice Biennale.
#FlandersNewsService | Miet Warlop's production of One Song © PHOTO MICHIEL DEVIJVER
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