This afternoon, the Dutch Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale was officially opened by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima. During the opening, they were presented with a book commissioned by the Mondriaan Fund to mark 130 years of Dutch representation at the Venice Biennale. The Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Rianne Letschert, was also in attendance and addressed those present.
The Dutch entry, The Fortress, is a presentation by artist Dries Verhoeven and curator Rieke Vos. The duo take the Dutch Pavilion and the Venice Biennale itself as their point of departure for an artwork that explores the impulse towards self-preservation in the face of major geopolitical uncertainty.
Dries Verhoeven:
‘The past weeks have exposed the cracks in what the Biennale aspires to be; here, too, we have seen how the world of yesterday is being stubbornly upheld. We are deeply grateful that, with The Fortress, we can cast a critical eye on both the Dutch Pavilion and the Biennale itself. Over the next seven months, together with the thirteen performers, we will be present in Venice in a loud and unmistakable way, continuing to reflect on the challenging context in which we find ourselves.’
Minister Letschert: ‘The strength of art and culture lies not only in their capacity to offer beauty, but also to reflect on what is ugly – on injustice and abuses of power. They can connect us, but also lay bare stark contrasts and inequality. As such, they are indispensable to a healthy, pluralistic and free democracy.’
It is the first time that performance will be presented in the Dutch Pavilion—and the first time the pavilion itself becomes part of the work. Interim director of the Mondriaan Fund, Eva Postema: ‘With this work Verhoeven will add a striking new chapter to the presentations in the Dutch Pavilion, while simultaneously placing the postmodern pavilion itself in a new light. By engaging with both the event and its location, Dries Verhoeven invites us to reflect on the tensions embedded within them – an approach that feels particularly urgent and necessary today.’
The Fortress is on view from 9 May to 22 November 2026. The presentation is commissioned by the Mondriaan Fund, the Dutch public fund for visual art and cultural heritage.
Historical overview
In the book The Netherlands at the Venice Biennale, 1895–2025: 130 Years of Visual Art on an International Stage, art historian Nathalie Zonnenberg, commissioned by the Mondriaan Fund, traces the history of Dutch participation in the Venice Biennale from 1895 to 2025. This is the first time this history has been systematically documented. The book will be available from 28 May and can already be ordered via the Jap Sam Books website. The publication is available in Dutch (978-90-76936-66-6) and in English (978-90-76936-67-3) and costs €32.50.
Publication
The presentation is accompanied by a publication. The catalogue The Fortress (in Dutch and English) includes a foreword by Eelco van der Lingen and contributions by Rieke Vos, Bas Heijne, Eric Otiena Sumba, Maurits de Bruijn and Dries Verhoeven. It also features extensive visual documentation of the work. The catalogue is available from Jap Sam Books for €29.95.