For the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, artist Dries Verhoeven and curator Rieke Vos present The Fortress. The duo takes the Dutch Pavilion and the Venice Biennale itself as the starting point for a work of art that explores the instinct for self-preservation in the face of major geopolitical uncertainty.
Designed by Gerrit Rietveld and built in the optimistic post-war years of the 1950s, the Dutch Pavilion can be seen as the epitome of openness, progress, and faith in the future. During Biennale Arte 2026, however, this modernist monument transforms into the antithesis of itself. With steel shutters, the sunlit structure turns its back on the outside world, becoming a dark, fortress-like enclosure. Inside, the encroaching darkness manifests in a raw vocal performance.
Dries Verhoeven: ‘”Together with a group of thirteen international performers, we are presenting a work about the search for stability in a world out of balance. Through the raw sounds the performers produce, they give expression to the social state of disarray that I currently observe – and the tenacity with which we, even in art, sometimes cling to values of yesterday.”
Reflecting on the Contradictions of La Biennale di Venezia
The artist and curator take the contradictions of La Biennale di Venezia, as they perceive them, as the starting point for this new work. They say: “The national pavilions at La Biennale di Venezia represent a world order from a bygone era. In the Giardini della Biennale, former world powers – mostly Western – still occupy the most prominent positions. Countries that in reality are closing their borders, declaring war, or committing genocide, stand side by side, in brotherly harmony. The art world attempts to uphold the idea of enlightened ideals and a hopeful common future.” The Fortress responds to this paradox.