Henrike Naumann and Sung Tieu will design the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2026

Artists Henrike Naumann and Sung Tieu will conceptualize the German Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Naumann, born in Zwickau in 1984, was among the participants of documenta fifteen (2022), where she presented a large-scale installation in collaboration with the Haitian artist collective Atis Rezistans / Ghetto Biennale. The artistic direction of the pavilion will be overseen by curator Kathleen Reinhardt, director of the Georg Kolbe Museum in Berlin, on behalf of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa).

Naumann employs furniture and interior design to explore political upheaval and the radicalization of society. Tieu, born in Vietnam in 1987, works across multiple media; her installations address the aftermath of the Cold War, experiences of migration, and institutional violence.

Both artists engage critically with societal, bureaucratic, and social systems of order. Reinhardt emphasizes that their work addresses questions of historical responsibility and collective agency “from the perspective of a younger generation”.

The 61st Venice Biennale will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The German Pavilion has previously featured artists such as Joseph Beuys, Isa Genzken, Anne Imhof, and Yael Bartana.

Three people stand side by side in front of a modern building. They look seriously into the camera and are wearing dark, formal clothing.
Henrike Naumann, Sung Tieu and Kathleen Reinhardt (l-r) Photo: Victoria Tomaschko