Julian T. at the 61st Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition. National Pavilion of the United Republic of Tanzania.
until 22 November 2026, Venice.
National Pavilion of the United Republic of Tanzania
at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Minor Frequencies: The Inner Life Of A Nation
Commissioner
Leah Elias Kihimbi
Deputy Director for Arts Development at the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sport of the United Republic of Tanzania
Curators
Lorna Benedict Mashiba, Martina Cavallarin
Organiser
Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sport of the United Republic of Tanzania
In collaboration with
Rangi Gallery, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Gervasuti Foundation, London and Venice
Production
MilleEventi | Venice & Everywhere
Organization
Techne Art Service e PRS Impresa Sociale
Gervasuti Foundation at Supernova
Cannaregio 3218/A – Fondamenta della Sensa
Special Event – Diary #06
JULIAN T. IMPACTFUL
Curated by Giulia Pozzi
11–26 July 2026
Opening on Saturday 11 July at 7.00 pm
Photographs by Matteo Galtidi
Julian T.’s contribution to the 2026 Venice Biennale.
THE NATIONAL PAVILION OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA HOSTS JULIAN T.
To mark the 61st Venice Art Biennale, Julian T. is presenting his renowned body of work, centred on gesture and visual impact, within the National Pavilion of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Housed within the Gervasuti Foundation in Cannaregio, the Pavilion hosts the group exhibition entitled ‘Minor Frequencies: The Inner Life Of A Nation’. The exhibition reflects on themes of identity, memory and the intimate perceptions that permeate contemporary societies, inviting visitors to listen across the board and to pay attention to the background noise, beyond the grand proclamations. Through distinct yet interconnected practices, the Tanzanian artists are echoed by a polyphonic chorus of a select group of artists from other places.
A series of Special Events – Diary – has been organised to run alongside the exhibition, under the curatorial direction of Martina Cavallarin. These include in-depth explorations of works and artists, lectures, workshops and practical sessions in collaboration with fine art academies and other institutions.
And the Pavilion becomes more than just an exhibition: it is an atmosphere, a space that listens in its own right.
A SPECIAL PROJECT: JULIAN T.’S DIARY #06 “IMPACTFUL”
Almost twenty years after the launch of the Impact project, Julian T. returns to the Venice Art Biennale with *Impactful*, a solo exhibition that marks both a culmination and a new beginning.
Within the exhibition layout of the Tanzania Pavilion – divided into four thematic areas: Body, Gesture, Archive and Mind – Julian T.’s works and his Impactful project respond directly to the exhibition’s concept. The event fits perfectly within Julian T.’s artistic exploration, centred on the instantaneous gesture and the concept of uncontrollable impact. This aesthetic engages with the reflections of the National Pavilion of the United Republic of Tanzania on the ‘body’ and the ‘gesture’ as fragments of a collective identity.
In Julian T.’s work, the sequence ‘gesture – impact’ encapsulates a notion of non-linear time, made up of moments of anticipation, bursts of energy and the settling of layers. In the *Impactful* project, the process of execution is of great importance, from the choice of tools used to create the moment, to the colour, right through to the precision of the throw. The canvases born of these ‘explosions’, with their intricate details, symbolise wounds, collisions and cultural interactions. They fit perfectly with the exhibition’s aim, which seeks to bring out the ‘minor frequencies’ – that is, the fragile memories, whispers and invisible connections between Africa and the rest of the world. His works engage in an international dialogue with the installations and performances of the Tanzanian artist Lazaro Samuel.
The Special Event – Diary #06 Julian T. IMPACTFUL is made possible thanks to the support of Sofi Gallery and Andrea Skizzo Mulargia.
IMPACT AT THE VENICE BIENNALE FOR THE SECOND TIME
The artist feels a strong desire to share the performative experience in front of an audience, creating a sense of pathos and uncontrolled interaction, with the aim of moving, provoking, sparking dialogue and inspiring ever-changing ideas. In 2007, a curator fell in love with the project and Julian T. was given the great opportunity to show his creation to the world: Impact was launched from an airship during the Venice Biennale. The artist and his team succeeded in the endeavour, demonstrating the power of the gesture.
IMPACTFUL
11 July to 26 July 2026
The National Pavilion of the United Republic of Tanzania, located at the Gervasuti Foundation (Cannaregio 3218/A and Cannaregio 4998) in Venice, is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday until 22 November 2026.
THE ARTIST
Julian T. was born in Genoa in 1985. He lives and works in Savona.
Julian T. is a contemporary artist whose practice revolves around the relationship between gesture, material and unpredictability. His work focuses on the analysis of the moment as an unrepeatable event, explored through processes that bring control and chance into dialogue.
A central element of his practice is the Impact project, which began as a reflection on the capacity of a simple gesture to generate complex and highly meaningful forms. Through the use of pigment and glass ampoules, the artist constructs situations in which the action – at once planned and left to unfold freely – produces ever-changing results, transforming the unexpected into a visual language.
Alongside the pictorial dimension, Julian T. develops a strong performative element, bringing the moment of impact into the public space and sharing with the viewer the tension and anticipation that precede the event. Among the most significant episodes is the action carried out in 2007 during the Venice Biennale, when Impact was launched from an airship, expanding the scale and symbolic significance of the gesture.
Throughout his artistic practice, the artist has progressively explored the relationship between matter and transformation, giving rise to series such as *Alchimia*, in which the chromatic journey and the introduction of materials such as gold and silver reflect a drive towards transmutation and the construction of the self. At the same time, more recent projects such as *The Fragment* bear witness to an evolution in his artistic vision, focused on the analysis of detail and the highlighting of the residual traces of the artistic gesture.
Julian T.’s practice is characterised by a constant balance between procedural rigour and openness to the unpredictable, taking the form of an investigation into the expressive potential of elementary phenomena and art’s capacity to make visible what happens in the instant.
Techne Art Service A.p.s.
