Marina Abramović reaches a historic milestone in 2026 with a major exhibition at Gallerie dell’Accademia, becoming the first living female artist to receive an exhibition of this scale within the institution. Opening alongside the 2026 edition of La Biennale di Venezia, “Transforming Energy” coincides with Abramović’s 80th birthday and places her radical performance practice into direct conversation with the Renaissance heritage that defines Venice itself.
Curated by Shai Baitel in close collaboration with the artist, the exhibition extends across both the museum’s permanent galleries and temporary exhibition spaces, a first in the history of the Accademia. This expanded format allows Abramović’s work to inhabit the museum in an unusually intimate way, creating unexpected encounters between contemporary performance art and centuries-old masterpieces.
The exhibition combines some of Abramović’s most recognized works with archival video projections and newly commissioned installations developed specifically for Venice. Central to the presentation are the artist’s “Transitory Objects,” sculptural forms made from stone and embedded crystals that visitors are encouraged to physically engage with by sitting, standing, or resting on them. These interactive pieces continue Abramović’s long-standing interest in energy, presence, ritual, and the invisible exchanges between body and space.
One of the exhibition’s most striking moments emerges through the juxtaposition of “Pietà (with Ulay)” from 1983 alongside Titian’s renowned “Pietà.” Positioned in dialogue with one another, the works create a layered reflection on grief, vulnerability, spirituality, and human endurance across vastly different historical periods.
Developed in partnership with the Marina Abramović Institute and the Modern Art Museum Shanghai, “Transforming Energy” also highlights Abramović’s ongoing fascination with natural materials and sensory experience. Quartz, amethyst, and other mineral elements appear throughout the exhibition, reinforcing its meditative atmosphere and inviting visitors into a slower, more introspective mode of viewing.
Spanning from May 6 to October 19, 2026, the exhibition positions Abramović not only as a pioneering figure in performance art, but also as an artist whose work continues to challenge how audiences experience time, emotion, and physical presence within the museum space.
