the sculptor Alma Allenborn in Utah and based in Mexico, has been selected to represent USA at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The American pavilion will be curated by Jeffrey Uslipalthough the official announcement remains on hold until the US government shutdown ends.
The original news was initially spread by the newsletter The Baer Faxt. It has not been confirmed whether Allen and Uslip collaborate with any commissioned institution, a common practice in the organization of the United States pavilion. Washington Post through Infobae Culture had previously reported that the artist’s proposal Robert Lazzarini had been selected, but was later ruled out by the State Department. Lazzarini attributed this decision to bureaucratic issues and not to ideological differences.
Uslip currently works independently and was responsible for curating the Malta Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale. In 2016, he resigned from his position as chief curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis following controversy surrounding an exhibition of Kelley Walker.
A page on the nonprofit organization’s website American Arts Conservancy dedicated to the American pavilion at the 2026 Biennial. Uslip is on the advisory board of this entity, which, according to its description, “promotes the legacy of American artists through preservation, education and global cultural engagement.” The website indicates that the Conservancy was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization in July.
As for Allen’s representation, his career includes collaborations with the Blum and Poe gallery, now closed, and with Kasmin, which recently became Olney Gleason. Allen was listed on the artists page of Olney Gleason until last month. Sources consulted indicated that Allen is currently negotiating his representation with the Perrotin gallery, which did not respond to requests for information before press time.
Born in 1970, Allen has lived since 2017 in Tepoztlannear Cuernavaca and south of Mexico City. Before moving to Mexico, he lived in Joshua Tree, California. His work is characterized by large-format sculptures made of stone, wood and bronze. In addition to using traditional modeling and hand carving techniques, Allen has incorporated cutting-edge technology, such as a self-made robotic device. His bronze pieces are produced in a foundry located in his own studio.
Regarding the nature of his sculptures, Allen once expressed: “Sculptures are usually in the act of doing something: they are leaving, or leaving, or interacting with something invisible. Although they seem like static objects, in my mind they are not. In my mind they are part of a much wider universe”.
Allen’s election results unusual for the American pavilion, since artists with a higher profile and a longer career are usually selected. In recent editions, the United States was represented by figures such as Jeffrey Gibson, Simone Leigh, Mark Bradford, Joan Jonas and Ed Ruscha.
According to a resume updated in May, Allen has starred in two major institutional exhibitions in his three decades of career: one in 2023 at the Anahuacalli Museum from Mexico City and another in 2018 in the Palm Springs Art Museum from California. Earlier this year, ten of his sculptures were displayed along twenty blocks of Park Avenue in New York. The last group exhibition in a museum that appears on your resume is Handheldmade in 2018 at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Only five museums, including the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Arthave his works in their collections.
The selection of the artist for the Venice Biennale falls to the Advisory Committee on International Exhibitionsmade up of the National Endowment for the Arts and the United States Department of State, through a call for proposals. This year, doubts arose about the continuity of the US flag until 2026, due to the reforms promoted by the Trump administration in the federal government, which included changes to the NEA.
These modifications have also influenced the criteria for selecting art for the pavilion. This year’s call included the requirement that proposals stand out “works of art that reflect and promote American values” and “foster peaceful relations between the United States and other nations“, as reported Vanity Fair.
Since June, the artist Andres Serrano and the far-right blogger Curtis Yarvin They publicly announced their proposals for the US pavilion, although it has not been confirmed whether they formally submitted them through the application portal.
Producing the American flag every two years involves high costs. The United States government provides a grant of only USD 375,000while the necessary budget usually amounts to several million dollars. The 2024 edition, led by Gibson, had a budget of approximately USD 5 millionand Leigh’s in 2022 required about USD 7 millionaccording to data from The New York Times.
Various countries have already announced their representatives for the Biennial, 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 present their pavilions to the Venice Biennale.
The Australian pavilion has been involved in controversy. The artist Khaled Sabsabi He was selected in February, but shortly afterwards his appointment was revoked by the Creative Australia commissioner, sparking a strong public backlash. In July, Creative Australia reinstated Sabsabi and in October awarded him a grant of USD 100,000 for an exhibition in 2027 that will include works that will debut at the Biennale.
