"At CityX, we see fragility not as weakness, but as a condition that shapes how art exists, evolves, and survives today — between physical reality and digital space. The Venice Biennale becomes a space where this condition is not only observed, but actively redefined!"

During the Venice Biennale, CityX Foundation presents a two-day program across the Arsenale Pavilion and Garden Pavilion, bringing together artists, collectors, and cultural voices within a shared space of experimentation and exchange.

The program unfolds through live performance, film, digital presentation, and public discussion, exploring fragility as a defining condition of contemporary art and life, across both physical and digital worlds.

"Iron Drive" is a live performance and installation by Sergey Bratkov. Through a simple yet irreversible gesture, the work explores fragility, transformation, and the human condition of moving forward without return.

The installation remains active between performances, preserving the atmosphere of heat, repetition, and suspended action.

Sergey Bratkov is internationally recognized for his uncompromising exploration of power, vulnerability, gender, labor, and post-Soviet trauma. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is part of major museum and private collections.

As this will be a closed screening, attendance is limited and subject to confirmation.

"The Hammer" is a film exploring the life and career of legendary auctioneer Simon de Pury — the "Mick Jagger of art auctions", offering a rare glimpse into the global art market.

Featuring artists such as Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, and Chloe Wise, the film examines the complex relationship between artists and commerce, questioning what it means to be an artist today.

In collaboration with @artontezos_ × @objktcom

A curated digital presentation and auction featuring artists from the CityX x ACCOMPART'S ecosystem, exploring fragility as a defining condition of contemporary culture.

The question is: What remains fragile today is not only the artwork, but the systems that sustain it.

Program

Fragile Art / Digital Auction and presentation

TAXAPHONE is a multimedia project by Paris-based multidisciplinary artist and musician Emil Zenko, combining sculpture, video, and sound into a unified environment.

Through the motif of a phone booth, the work explores communication, isolation, and urban mythology across visual and sonic dimensions.

Multimedia project

• Strategies for preserving time-based and digital works
• Institutional versus private collecting approaches
• Market structures for experimental and emerging practices
• The evolving role of collectors as cultural stewards
• The shifting relationship between artists, audiences, and collecting bodies

This roundtable convenes leading curators, collectors, foundation directors, and gallery pioneers to examine the evolving responsibilities of collecting fragile, experimental, and technologically driven contemporary art. Featuring representatives from City X Foundation, SPARK Art Fair Vienna, Heidi Horten Collection and independent curatorial voices.

The discussion will explore:

CityX Foundation is a Publishing Partner of the forthcoming monograph dedicated to Aysha E Arar, co-published by Dvir Gallery, Sans titre, and Mousse Publishing.

During the Venice Biennale 2026, CityX Foundation presents a preview event dedicated to the forthcoming publication, centered on the work and practice of Aysha E Arar:

• Conversation with Aysha E Arar and her representatives from Dvir Gallery and Eloi Boucher (Sans titre)
• Curatorial introduction
• Presentation of selected works
• Early insights into the publication framework
• Introduction with participation from Mousse Publishing

The monograph will be officially released in October 2026, during Art Basel Paris.

The program concludes with a special closing celebration in collaboration with SPARK Art Fair Vienna, bringing together artists, collectors, galleries, and guests of the fair for an informal evening of exchange and connection.

Known for its focused, curated approach to contemporary art, SPARK Art Fair Vienna has established itself as a platform supporting emerging voices and new formats of presentation within the European art scene.