Before the Venice Biennale takes centre stage this May, the art world’s gaze shifts to Pittsburgh for the 2026 Carnegie International, per artnews.com. Established in 1896, the United States’ oldest biennial-style exhibition has announced its largest edition yet, featuring 61 artists from across the globe.
Opening on May 2 at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the show will feature premieres from nations as diverse as Peru and the Philippines. While the Whitney Biennial often dominates New York headlines, the Carnegie remains a vital conduit for introducing international talent to American audiences.
Historically a gateway for European modernism, the International has pivoted in recent years to champion voices from the Global South. Notable participants this year include Silät, an all-female Indigenous weaving collective from Argentina; Arturo Kameya, a rising Peruvian painter exploring the intersection of memory and place; and Sanchayan Ghosh, an Indian artist known for site-specific performances.
These names will exhibit alongside established figures such as Turner Prize nominee Jasleen Kaur and filmmaker Wu Tsang.
The 2026 edition, titled “If the word we”, is organised by curators Ryan Inouye, Liz Park and Danielle A. Jackson. The exhibition explores themes of multiplicity and flux.
“‘We’ is a complex and heterogeneous position from where we navigate life’s contradictions while remaining receptive to our surroundings,” the curators noted in a joint statement.
In a rare move, the exhibition will expand into the city of Pittsburgh through various partner venues. Torkwase Dyson will debut an installation at the Kamin Science Center planetarium, Claudia Martínez Garay and Arturo Kameya are collaborating on a project for the Mattress Factory and Brooke O’Harra will stage a performance at a local YMCA.
Eric Crosby, Director of the Carnegie Museum of Art, emphasised that the exhibition’s globalism is a deliberate choice to provide a platform for “worlds upon worlds of contemporary art.”
•Featured image: “Trade winds and shadow objects; north by southeast (2021) by Eric Gyamfi/Red Clay Studio, Tamale, Ghana
