From May 4 to 31, 2026, coinciding with the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale, Palazzo Molin Querini, a residential building overlooking the Grand Canal, was transformed into a platform dedicated to the contemporary Venetian art scene.
Commissioned by the Venice International Foundation, conceived and curated by Caroline Corbetta, and produced in collaboration with Havas Arte e Cultura, KUNSTHAUS PARADISO. ABITARE VENEZIA brought together over fifty Italian and international artists active in the city, along with curators, writers, artisans, musicians, and researchers.
The project was launched with the goal of bringing a dynamic, widespread, and deeply rooted local art scene one that is still too often overlooked into the international spotlight.
Palazzo Molin Querini hosted an evolving exhibition and a program of meetings, conversations, performances, and social gatherings. The project took shape as a “home within a home,” where living became a cultural tool and social interaction a means of fostering relationships and exchanges among artists, cultural professionals, and the public.
In a Venice marked by depopulation and the pressures of tourism, choosing a home that has truly been lived in meant telling the story of the city from within—its transformations and fragility. Not to occupy Venice, but to live in it: from this idea, KUNSTHAUS PARADISO has created a temporary cultural hub capable of connecting artistic production, research, and contemporary practices with the city’s history and identity.
The project has its roots in the experience of the Padiglione Crepaccio I Veneziani, conceived by Caroline Corbetta in 2013, and represents an evolution toward more structured and ongoing support for the local art scene. The title combines “Kunsthaus” meaning “house of art and artists” with “Paradiso,” an imaginary place of desire and possibility, and, in Venetian memory, a reference to the legendary Caffè Paradiso in the Biennale Gardens.
With KUNSTHAUS PARADISO, the Venice International Foundation has expanded its commitment to Venice, complementing its historic work in the preservation and restoration of the Civic Museums’ heritage with support for new cultural initiatives and projects. This initiative embodies the Foundation’s “rebirth and protect” vision, fostering a dialogue between heritage and the contemporary world and creating new opportunities for participation, visibility, and connection within the city.
KUNSTHAUS PARADISO. ABITARE VENEZIA was realized with Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A. as the main partner and with the support of Banca Ifis.
The project is accompanied by an environmental impact report prepared by Nativa, which is available for viewing and download.
Fondamenta Rezzonico
Dorsoduro 3144
30123 Venezia (VE)
T. +39 376 087 5651
info@venicefoundation.org
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