Utah-born sculptor Alma Allen, who currently lives and works in Mexico, has been chosen to represent the United States at the prestigious 2026 Venice Biennale, according to multiple sources familiar with the selection process. The international art exhibition is scheduled to open in May 2026, and Jeffrey Uslip has been selected as the pavilion's commissioning curator. However, the official announcement has been delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown, sources indicate.
The news was first reported by the Baer Faxt newsletter, though it remains unclear whether Allen and Uslip are collaborating with a commissioning institution, which is typically standard practice for the U.S. Pavilion. This selection comes after another proposed pavilion by artist Robert Lazzarini was initially chosen but subsequently dropped by the State Department. According to The Washington Post, Lazzarini attributed the decision to bureaucratic issues rather than ideological disagreements.
Uslip, who is currently working independently, previously curated the Malta Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale. His career includes a stint as chief curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, though he resigned in 2016 amid controversy surrounding a Kelley Walker exhibition. He currently serves on the advisory council of the American Arts Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that launched as a 501(c)(3) in July and is dedicated to advancing American artists' legacies through preservation, education, and global cultural engagement.
Allen represents an unconventional choice for the American Pavilion, as previous representatives have typically been more established, high-profile artists with extensive exhibition histories. Recent U.S. representatives include blue-chip artists such as Jeffrey Gibson, Simone Leigh, Mark Bradford, Joan Jonas, and Ed Ruscha, all of whom had significantly more institutional recognition at the time of their selection.
Born in 1970, Allen has been based in Tepoztlán, a town near Cuernavaca south of Mexico City, since 2017. Before relocating to Mexico, he lived and worked in Joshua Tree, California. He is known for creating large-scale sculptures using traditional materials like stone, wood, and bronze, while also incorporating modern technology, including a self-built robotic device. His bronze works are fabricated at a foundry located within his own studio.
The artist has described his sculptures as dynamic rather than static, explaining that "The sculptures are often in the act of doing something: They are going away, or leaving, or interacting with something invisible. Even though they seem static as objects, they are not static in my mind. In my mind they are part of a much larger universe." This philosophical approach to his work emphasizes movement and interaction with unseen forces.
Allen's exhibition history is relatively modest compared to previous Venice representatives. According to his curriculum vitae last updated in May, he has had only two major institutional surveys during his three-decade career: one in 2023 at the Museo Anahuacalli in Mexico City and another in 2018 at the Palm Springs Art Museum in California. Earlier this year, ten of his sculptures were displayed along 20 blocks of Park Avenue in New York. His most recent group exhibition at a museum was "Handheld" at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, in 2018.
Regarding gallery representation, Allen previously showed with the now-closed Blum and Poe gallery and was represented by Kasmin, which recently closed and rebranded as Olney Gleason. Sources indicate he is currently in negotiations with Perrotin gallery for representation, though Perrotin did not respond to requests for comment.
The artist selection process for the Venice Biennale involves the Advisory Committee on International Exhibitions, assembled by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of State through a call for proposals. This year's selection process has been influenced by changes made by the Trump administration, which has implemented major overhauls to federal agencies, including the NEA. The call for proposals included new language requiring submissions to "highlight works of art that reflect and promote American values" and foster "peaceful relations between the United States and other nations," as first reported by Vanity Fair.
Since June, both artist Andres Serrano and far-right blogger Curtis Yarvin have publicly announced their proposals for the American Pavilion, though it's unclear whether they actually submitted formal applications through the official portal. The selection process has been closely watched given the political climate and changes to federal arts funding.
Producing the American Pavilion is an expensive undertaking that requires significant private fundraising. While the U.S. government provides a grant of only $375,000, exhibitions typically require several million dollars to complete. Jeffrey Gibson's 2024 pavilion had a budget of approximately $5 million, while Simone Leigh's 2022 pavilion cost around $7 million, according to The New York Times.
Many other countries have already announced their representatives for the 2026 Biennale, including Lubaina Himid for Great Britain, Yto Barrada for France, Henrike Naumann and Sung Tieu for Germany, Abbas Akhavan for Canada, and Amanda Heng for Singapore. Countries have until January 19 to officially submit their pavilions to the Venice Biennale organization.
The Australian Pavilion has faced particular controversy during this selection cycle. Artist Khaled Sabsabi was initially selected in February, but his appointment was quickly canceled by commissioner Creative Australia, leading to significant backlash from the art community. In July, Creative Australia reinstated Sabsabi, and in October awarded him a $100,000 grant for a 2027 exhibition that will feature pieces debuting at the Biennale.
