At the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, KaMag, the collaborative duo of María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Kamaal Malak emerged as one of the defining artistic and emotional presences of the Biennale’s opening week. Through monumental installation, live performance and collective acts of remembrance, the artists shaped the spiritual centre of In Minor Keys, the posthumously realised exhibition conceived by celebrated curator Koyo Kouoh.
Installed within the newly restored Central Pavilion in the Giardini, Campos-Pons’ powerful new work Anatomy of the Magnolia Tree for Koyo Kouoh and Toni Morrison (2026), accompanied by an original sonic composition by Malak, has quickly become one of the most discussed works of the Biennale. Functioning simultaneously as memorial, ritual space and affirmation of ancestral continuity, the installation places Kouoh’s curatorial vision at the heart of Venice while extending KaMag’s long-standing exploration of memory, migration, Black diasporic identity and spiritual resilience.
Throughout the opening week, KaMag expanded this dialogue beyond the exhibition walls through immersive performances including Whispering in III Movements and the deeply moving Poetry Caravan, transforming the Biennale grounds into a living site of collective reflection, healing and artistic communion.
The Poetry Caravan – a deeply moving procession inspired by Kouoh’s intellectual and poetic legacy – brought together many of the artists she had invited prior to her untimely passing. Poems were spoken, performances shared, and acts of remembrance enacted publicly, forming both a eulogy and a celebration of her extraordinary vision.
Alongside their participation in the Biennale, Campos-Pons inaugurated Resonance: Vanderbilt in Venice at Fondazione Giorgio e Armanda Marchesani, running through 10 July. The programme brings together former students from Vanderbilt University alongside international artists and curators, creating a platform for dialogue across generations.
This presentation builds on a sustained period of international recognition, including closing Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary programme last year alongside Campos-Pons in-situ installation Matanzas Sound Map (2017); performances at the National Gallery and Somerset House during Frieze London 2025; as well as exhibiting pieces and performances at the São Paulo Bienal in September’25 and Desert X AlUla in January 2026.
Photo by Andrea Avezzù, Jacopo Salvi, Marco Zorzanello, Luca Zambelli Bais. Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia
Since Kouoh’s passing, Campos-Pons and Malak have paid homage to her and her curatorial vision – which continues to shape global conversations around art and the African diaspora – through a series of performative gestures. These respond to Kouoh’s much-quoted reflection: “I do believe in life after death because I come from an ancestral Black education where we believe in parallel lives and realities. I believe in energies – living or dead – and in cosmic strength.”
This philosophy resonates deeply with the artists’ own commitment to the continuum between ancestral presence and creative force – a central theme within KaMag’s practice and their teaching at Vanderbilt University.
It has also been announced that Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo will confer upon María Magdalena Campos-Pons the title of Accademica d’onore, recognising her profound contribution to contemporary art and transnational cultural discourse.
“María Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of the most influential artists since the 1990s, particularly across the Americas. Her work is key to thinking about migration, collective memory, and the role of Black culture in the wider world.”
Michael Wellen, Senior Curator, International Art, Tate Modern
Photo by Andrea Avezzù, Jacopo Salvi, Marco Zorzanello, Luca Zambelli Bais. Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia
Every gesture we make is a call across time – to the ancestors, to those who carried art as resistance, to those who transformed survival into beauty. Our work honours that lineage. We carry this spirit with us, and continue to be guided by Koyo’s light and the energies she invoked – living, departed and still unfolding. We believe art holds the power to heal, to connect and to keep memory alive.” KaMag
KaMag performances and events held during the Biennale Arte’s opening week:
Opening Week Programme – Biennale Arte 2026
KaMag Performance: Whispering in III Movements
Opening performance: Wednesday 6 May, 17:00 – Arsenale, Tese dei Soppalchi
Closing performance: Saturday 9 May, 16:00 – Arsenale, Tese dei Soppalchi
KaMag: Poetry Caravan
Thursday 7 May, 15:30–17:00 – Giardini della Biennale
KaMag also held a preview brunch to launch “Resonance” – Vanderbilt in Venice (on until July 10th 2026) at Fondazione Giorgio and Amanda Marchesani”. Find further details on programme here.
