GLASSTRESS 2026: contemporary glass back in the spotlight between Venice and Murano

GLASSTRESS, the international project founded by Adriano Berengo in 2009 as a collateral event of the Venice Biennale, returns to animate the lagoon. Over the years, the initiative has established itself as one of the most important events dedicated to contemporary research and experimentation in the field of glass art.

From July 12 to November 22, 2026, Venice will host a new edition of the event, spread between the historic Palazzo Ca’ Tron on the Grand Canal and the Fondazione Berengo Art Space in Murano. The event will bring together more than fifty artists and designers from different countries, invited to explore the creative potential of glass through close collaboration with Berengo Studio’s master glassmakers. The 2026 edition also introduces more than twenty new participants, many of whom are confronting this material for the first time, resulting in new works and experiments.

Articulated between Murano and Venice, the exhibition proposes an exhibition path that interweaves different disciplines and languages, ranging from sculpture to performance, from design to immersive installations. At the center of reflection is glass, considered an expressive tool capable of interpreting the needs and transformations of contemporary art.

Artists featured include Marina Abramović, Ai Weiwei, Manal Al Dowayan, Monira Al Qadiri, Allora & Calzadilla, Vanessa Beecroft, Monica Bonvicini, Stefano Cagol, Edoardo Callegari, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Ornella Cardillo, Judy Chicago, Zheng Chongbin, Tony Cragg, Laura De Coninck, Ida Ekblad, David S. Eley, Leandro Erlich, Jan Fabre, Fariba Ferdosi, Christian Fogarolli, Massimiliano, Doriana and Lavinia Fuksas, Josepha Gasch-Muche, Gelitin, Abdulnasser Gharem, Fathi Hassan, Marlène Huissoud, Martin Janecký, Oda Jaune, and Wu Jian’an, Marya Kazoun, Karen LaMonte, Delaine Le Bas, Simone Mannino, Paul McCarthy, Yue Minjun, Serge Mouangue, Moataz Nasr, Adrian Paci, Cornelia Parker, Anne Peabody, Penzo+Fiore, Jaume Plensa, Laure Prouvost, Arne Quinze, Fatinha Ramos, Tobias Rehberger, Maria Roosen, Sterling Ruby, Thomas Schütte, Sean Scully, Marinella Senatore, Wael Shawky, Shan Shan Sheng, Chiharu Shiota, Koen Vanmechelen, Joana Vasconcelos, Ronald Ventura, Ernests Vītiņš, Ziping Wang, Rose Wylie, Erwin Wurm, Guan Xiao, Raed Yassin, Dustin Yellin, Sun Yitian, and Qi Zhuo.

Born in 2009 on the initiative of Adriano Berengo as an official collateral event of the Venice Biennale, GLASSTRESS has played a fundamental role in redefining the perception of glass within the international art scene. Indeed, the project has encouraged numerous artists, often lacking previous experience with this material, to experiment with its technical, aesthetic and conceptual potential through dialogue with the Murano tradition. Over time, GLASSTRESS has resulted in exhibitions created in collaboration with prestigious international cultural institutions and museums, including the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the London College of Fashion, the Millesgården Museum in Stockholm, and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. These initiatives have involved internationally renowned artists and leading figures of the contemporary scene such as Mark Bradford, Karen LaMonte, Cornelia Parker, Joyce J. Scott, and Laure Prouvost.

With the 2026 edition, the Berengo Foundation confirms its commitment to promoting glass as an expressive medium open to innovation and artistic experimentation.

GLASSTRESS 2026: contemporary glass back in the spotlight between Venice and Murano

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