Ilya & Emilia Kabakov: Venetian Diary A project with the participation of the inhabitants of Venice

Emilia Kabakov presents Venetian Diary, a monumental participatory work which focuses on the stories of Venetians. The idea was conceived with her late husband, Ilya Kabakov, who passed away in 2023. It unfolds as a dialogue between the city of Venice and the Biennale across the Venetian Pavilion at the Giardini, as part of the exhibition Persistent Notes curated by Giovanna Zabotti with Denis Isaia and Cesare Biasini Selvaggi, and the historic Ca’ Tron palazzo, curated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi and Giulia Abate. Around 700 Venetians were invited to contribute a personal object symbolic of their bond with the city and write a page of the diary. The Kabakovs’ collaborative work is a gesture of recognition towards those who underpin the cultural life of Venice. The project aligns with Koyo Kouoh’s curatorial vision for the Art Biennale 2026 exhibition, In Minor Keys, which invites us to attune to the most profound frequencies of the city: those which spring from its submerged layers, from its domestic and collective dimension, from the intimate stories that constitute its living fabric.