Biennale Arte 2026 61st International Art Exhibition 9 May - 22 November 2026
Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons was born in 1959 in La Vega, in the province of Matanzas, Cuba. She grew up in a family of Nigerian, Hispanic, and Chinese descent. Her diverse heritage profoundly shapes Campos-Pons' artistic practice, which spans photography, performance, painting, sculpture, film, and video. Her work is often autobiographical, exploring themes of history, memory, gender, and religion, and how these shape identity.
For the 61st Biennale di Venezia the artist proposed a sculptural installation comprising of seven elements, each depicting a stage in the magnolia's. life: seed collection, budding, blooming, wilting, fruiting, and seeding. Expanding on her long-standing connection to the magnolia, this work reflects the artist's desire to rehder visible the cycles of growth and renewal that define both nature and the human condition. The use of glass captures the fragility and luminosity of life, allowing each phase to appear suspended between emergence and decay, an offering to continuity, transformation, and the quiet resilience of creation itself.
Alongside the sculptural installation, Campos-Pons created two large-scale portraits in homage to Koyoh Kouoh and Toni Morrison. Drawing formal reference from her 2021 work The Secrets of the Magnolia Tree, the portraits will continue her layered approach to storytelling through mixed media. They reflect her deep reverence for the women who shaped her understanding of strength, artistry, and the cyclical nature of life.
