Koen Vanmechelen, a contemporary Belgian artist and sculptor, invites visitors to discover We Thought We Were Alone, a solo exhibition occupying three floors of Palazzo Rota Ivancich in Venice. Running alongside the 61st Venice Biennale, the exhibition features more than 40 new artworks examining the connections between living organisms and the nonliving world. Curated by the British independent curator James Putnam, the show runs from May 9 through November 22, 2026.
The Fine Art Shippers team was pleased to attend the exhibition and is now sharing its highlights with readers.
Meet Koen Vanmechelen
Born in Sint-Truiden, Belgium, in 1965, Vanmechelen has built an international reputation by combining art, biology, and philosophical inquiry. One of his best-known initiatives, the Cosmopolitan Chicken Project, began in 1999 and explores genetic diversity through the crossbreeding of different chicken breeds. Over time, the project has developed into a broader investigation of biodiversity, identity, and the relationship between nature and culture.
In 2013, Vanmechelen received the Golden Nica in the Hybrid Art category at Prix Ars Electronica. Since 2017, his work has been closely associated with LABIOMISTA, a 24-hectare biocultural park in Genk, Belgium, which brings together art, science, nature, and community.
We Thought We Were Alone: Embodied Presence
The exhibition challenges the idea that humans occupy the center of the natural world. Instead, Koen Vanmechelen presents life as an interconnected system in which humans, animals, and their environments continually influence one another.
Animal sculptures form a central part of the exhibition, returning the viewer’s gaze and appearing as active counterparts rather than passive subjects. The recurring motif of the egg introduces questions about life, transformation, and the uncertainty of what comes next. Through materials including bronze, marble, glass, photography, and video, Vanmechelen explores how forms and meanings evolve through their relationships with one another.
A dedicated space presents Wild Gene Festival, a video and installation collaboration with the Senegalese singer and composer Youssou N’Dour. Bringing together collective expression, gesture, and music, the project reinforces the exhibition’s broader themes of connection and coexistence. These ideas also resonate with the Biennale’s 2026 theme, In Minor Keys, offering an alternative to domination through reciprocity and collaboration. The exhibition’s curatorial approach encourages visitors to experience these ideas through the works and the spaces they inhabit.
Venue Selection
Palazzo Rota Ivancich provides a fitting setting for Vanmechelen’s exploration of transformation. Located on Calle del Remedio in Venice’s Castello district, near Piazza San Marco and the Querini Stampalia, the historic palazzo has evolved through centuries of repair and remodeling. Its layered architecture becomes an integral part of the exhibition, shaping how visitors encounter the artworks.
The building’s history and changing spaces complement Koen Vanmechelen’s interest in hybridity, continuity, and coexistence, making the venue more than a backdrop for the sculptures. Together, the art and architecture invite visitors to reconsider humanity’s place within the wider living world.