Somalia’s Venice Biennale Pavilion Accused of Excluding Local Artists

A coalition of Somali artists, writers and cultural organisations has criticised the organisation of Somalia’s inaugural national pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, arguing that practitioners based in the country were excluded from the selection and curatorial process.

In a public statement issued in April through the Somali Arts Foundation (SAF), signatories said the pavilion had been organised primarily by members of the Somali diaspora working alongside European collaborators, while artists and institutions operating in Somalia were “neither meaningfully consulted nor included”.

The Federal Republic of Somalia announced in March that it would participate in the Venice Biennale for the first time. The pavilion, titled SADDEXLEEY, takes its name from a Somali poetic form and features the work of Somali-Swedish artist Ayan Farah, Somali-Danish poet and filmmaker Asmaa Jama, and Somali-British writer Warsan Shire. The exhibition is curated by Stockholm-based Mohamed Mire and Italian project manager Fabio Scrivanti.

The dispute has emerged during a Biennale edition marked by broader political tensions and public criticism surrounding national representation, cultural labour and institutional governance.

In their statement, the Somali signatories said a national pavilion carried a responsibility to reflect “the breadth, complexity, and realities of a country’s artistic life”, particularly in Somalia, where artists and cultural workers have spent years rebuilding institutions and creative networks following decades of conflict.

“Our concern is not with the diaspora,” the statement said, adding that Somali communities abroad had made an important contribution to the country’s recovery. Instead, the criticism focused on what the group described as a lack of transparency and engagement with artists working within Somalia itself.

The statement was signed by a number of Somalia-based cultural figures, including writers, translators, filmmakers and visual artists. Additional support came from organisations including Arlo Art Space, the heritage group Biciid and the magazine Shineemo Banaadir, according to reports published elsewhere.

A separate statement circulated by the Somali queer collective Warbixinta Cidda criticised the appointment of Scrivanti as co-curator, citing Italy’s colonial history in Somalia and calling for his removal from the project. The collective said concerns had initially been raised privately with organisers before being made public.

An anonymous open letter published subsequently referenced both statements and called for a boycott of the pavilion unless several demands were met, including the removal of Scrivanti and a public response from the pavilion’s organisers and participating artists.

The Somali Arts Foundation later alleged that individuals connected to the pavilion had used “intimidation, coercive pressure, and scare tactics” against members of the coalition that criticised the project. The allegation has not been independently verified.

Organisers of the pavilion have rejected suggestions that Somalia-based practitioners were excluded entirely. In comments reported by Hyperallergic, a spokesperson said the pavilion “includes and collaborates with Somalia-based artists”, citing the participation of the Mogadishu-based painter Abdinasir Abdikadir, known as 4C. The spokesperson also said additional programming involving Somalia-based artists would take place during the Biennale in both Venice and Mogadishu, although further details were not provided.

The pavilion’s commissioner is Abdirahman Yusuf Mohamud, a cultural adviser to Somalia’s prime minister. Neither the pavilion’s artists nor its curators have issued a detailed public response to the criticism.