It will be Northern Irish painter Mark Francis (Newotwnards, 1962), an exponent of contemporary abstract painting, who will represent the Republic of San Marino at the 61. International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, scheduled from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The project, titled Sea of Sound and curated by Luca Tommasi, will be housed in the new Tana Art Space, between the Arsenale and Giardini, at Fondamenta de la Tana No. 2111. The San Marino Pavilion, designed and implemented by FR Istituto d’Arte Contemporanea S.p.a., has a scientific committee composed of Roberto Felicetti, Vincenzo Rotondo, Alessandro Bianchini and Alessandro Gea and the support of the Secretariat of State for Education and Culture. The Pavilion commissioner is Valentina Garavini.
According to curator Luca Tommasi, the choice of Mark Francis proved to be consistent with the overall theme of Biennale 2026, In Minor Keys, conceived by Koyo Kouoh and her curatorial team. “As soon as the Biennale’s theme was revealed,” he said, "the choice of Mark Francis seemed immediately natural and appropriate as it is in full semantic and metaphorical consonance with the Northern Irish artist’s most recent projects called Soundscapes, Acoustic Ocean, Harmonic Field. In Minor Keys is an expression borrowed from music that stands for a mode of performance in a minor tone, and which aims to extend the concept from the purely musical realm to the need for human beings to reconnect with the frequencies of their souls, to sharpen and amplify the ability to listen to the whispers and voices that are more feeble than the dominant narrative, acting as a tuning fork that can restore balance and harmony."
The Sea of Sound project moves along the coordinates that have always defined Mark Francis’ practice: the investigation of the physical and poetic relationships between art, sound and science. A painter by training, Francis has developed since the 1990s a strongly evocative abstract language capable of restoring, through color and composition, an almost acoustic dimension to the image. In his works, painting becomes a sound experience, built on vibrations, frequencies and rhythms that suggest a reality perceivable not only by sight but also by inner listening.
The title chosen for the Pavilion, Sea of Sound, alludes to the vastness of frequencies in which man is immersed daily and the ability to select, interpret and make them his own. The sea of sound evoked by the artist becomes a metaphor for the invisible, a field of resonance in which emotion and perception intertwine.
The San Marino Pavilion will be divided into two main rooms. The entrance hall will screen the video Listening Field, which introduces the viewer to the artist’s visual and conceptual world, building a bridge between moving image and painting. The second room will host a selection of unpublished large-format paintings, made in oil on canvas and aluminum, which represent the core of the exhibition. The installation, designed to amplify the immersive dimension of the itinerary, will guide the audience into a synaesthetic experience in which color, sound and rhythm merge into a single perception.
“Although my work is abstract in nature,” said the artist, “it is conceptually driven by ideas that draw inspiration from science, sound and color. Instead of replicating theoretical concepts, I have always allowed myself to get lost in the creative process, generating new and imagined forms. My practice focuses primarily on painting, but I have also explored graphic design and sculpture. Now, extending my research to the moving image, I am excited to share this new direction at the Biennale Arte 2026.”
The logo of the San Marino Pavilion originates from a painting by the artist, on which the three iconic towers of Mount Titan are superimposed. A symbol of freedom, independence and creativity, the towers are transformed into ideal “listening points,” propagators of waves and vibrations that traverse the “sea of sounds” evoked by the project.
The choice of Tana Art Space as the new venue marks another step in the enhancement of the San Marino Pavilion, which in recent years has strengthened its international identity. The former wood and coal warehouse, converted into a space for contemporary art, thus becomes a place for experimentation and dialogue between languages, consistent with the spirit of the project.
The initiative, promoted by FR Istituto d’Arte Contemporanea with the support of San Marino institutions, confirms the Republic of San Marino’s willingness to continue investing in culture as a form of diplomacy and openness to the global art scene. Indeed, Pavilion 2026 is part of a line of research that combines art, technology and sustainability through the interaction between aesthetic vision and scientific reflection.
Mark Francis, born in 1962 in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, lives and works in London. After studies at St. Martin’s School of Art (1981-1985) and Chelsea School of Art (1986), he developed an international career exhibiting in leading institutions and galleries in the UK and around the world. Major exhibitions include those at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery in Dublin, Milton Keynes Gallery, City Art Gallery in Manchester, and the Royal Academy in London, where in 1997 he took part in the landmark exhibition Sensation, curated by Charles Saatchi. In 2022, the artist presented his solo exhibition Re-Echo, curated by Marco Tonelli, his first show in an Italian public museum, at Palazzo Collicola in Spoleto.
Mark Francis’ works are now part of important public and private collections, including the Tate Gallery,IMMA - Irish Museum of Modern Art, andArts Council England. His work, deeply rooted in reflection on the relationship between sensory perception and scientific knowledge, represents one of the most original voices in contemporary European painting.
All updated information about San Marino’s participation in the Biennale Arte 2026 will be available on the official website www.biennaleveneziasanmarino.com and on dedicated social channels: Facebook @biennaleveneziasanmarino and Instagram @biennalevenezia_sanmarino. The official hashtags will be #biennaleveneziasanmarino, #markfrancis and #seaofsound.
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| Abstract painter Mark Francis will represent San Marino at the Venice Art Biennale 2026 |
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