Nigeria Announces Return to the 62nd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2028 Under Nigeria Everywhere and Appoints Richard Vedelago to Lead Pavilion

Nigeria Announces Return to the 62nd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2028

Under Nigeria Everywhere and Appoints Richard Vedelago to Lead Pavilion

Nigeria – 27th February, 2026 

Photo caption: Honourable Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa and Curator Richard Vedelago at Windsor Gallery, Abuja, as Nigeria announces its return to the 62nd Venice Biennale (2028) under the Nigeria Everywhere platform.

– After a period of institutional restructuring and strategic recalibration, Nigeria has formally confirmed its participation in the 62nd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte 2028) under the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy (FMACTCE) and its global Nigeria Everywhere platform.

Nigeria’s return in 2028 is not routine. It is deliberate.

Following its critically recognised presentation at the 60th International Art Exhibition in 2024, the Federal Government initiated a comprehensive review of its international cultural strategy, examining governance models, funding architecture, diplomatic alignment, and long-term economic return on cultural participation.

Rather than approaching Venice as a symbolic presence, Nigeria has chosen 2028 as the moment to return with structural readiness: stronger institutional backing, defined economic intent, and a long-term continental vision.

The Ministry has appointed Richard Vedelago as Curator of the Nigeria Pavilion 2028, signalling a shift toward curatorial rigour, international institutional collaboration, and long-horizon planning.

The 62nd edition of La Biennale arrives at a pivotal moment for African cultural diplomacy. As several African nations reassess their participation models in major global exhibitions, Nigeria’s confirmation signals stability, ambition, and leadership within the continent’s largest creative economy.

Venice 2028 becomes more than an exhibition; it is a declaration that Nigeria intends to anchor African cultural presence within global art infrastructure, a platform for building sustained institutional partnerships beyond the biennale cycle, and a strategic tool aligned with Nigeria’s Cultural Sovereignty doctrine, positioning culture as economic capital, diplomatic currency, and a source of narrative authority on the world stage.

Honourable Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa stated:

“Venice 2028 is not simply Nigeria’s return to one of the world’s most important cultural stages; it is a moment of sovereign declaration. Through the Nigeria Pavilion, we will deliver an experience that leaves the world speechless, grounded in intellectual depth, artistic excellence, and unapologetic cultural confidence. This pavilion will not only showcase Nigerian creativity; it will reshape how African art is positioned, valued, and understood globally.”

Unlike previous cycles, the Nigeria Pavilion 2028 is being structured through a phased development model spanning governance reform, diversified funding mechanisms, international museum partnerships, diaspora engagement, and private-sector alignment.

Under the broader Destination 2030: Nigeria Everywhere agenda, Venice functions as a flagship moment within a longer economic and diplomatic arc, linking the creative industries to tourism growth, foreign investment, and global brand Nigeria.

For Africa’s art ecosystem, Nigeria’s confirmation provides continuity at a time of transition. It signals that African participation at Venice can move beyond episodic representation toward institutional permanence.

Richard Vedelago commented, “The question is no longer whether Nigerian artists belong on the world’s most important stages, that has already been answered. The question now is how we build frameworks that sustain that presence. Venice 2028 is an opportunity to build something lasting, intellectually rigorous, structurally sound, and globally connected.”

Nigeria’s return in 2028 communicates confidence  not only in its artists but also in its ability to architect the systems that support them.

It affirms a shift from reactive participation to strategic authorship within the global cultural arena.

Further announcements regarding the pavilion’s thematic framework, artist selection, and international institutional collaborations will follow.

About Nahous

Nahous is a multidisciplinary cultural house in Lagos dedicated to amplifying African creativity across art, design, gastronomy, and fashion. Its landmark inaugural exhibition, We Are Now, announced its arrival as a bold new platform. With Territoires Flottants, Nahous continues its mission to give African voices the space to define themselves and chart new cultural horizons.

About FMACTCE

The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy (FMACTCE) was established on August 21, 2023, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a beacon of hope and progress in the realization of the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration. The ministry brings together the nation’s art, culture, tourism, and creative sectors under one strategic umbrella, providing government support and guidance to drive growth. Dedicated to bridging policy gaps and adapting to cultural and technological shifts across Africa and the globe, FMACTCE serves as a catalyst for innovation, economic empowerment, and the flourishing of Nigeria’s vibrant creative economy. Destination 2030: Nigeria Everywhere, an initiative of the FMACTCE is Nigeria's official  global soft power and tourism brand. 

Photo credit for Honourable Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa Images: Truman Tyoden

Photos of Richard Vedelago: Nahous

For more information, please contact:

International Media:

Thelma Anowaa @ FOLA PR // thelma@folapr.com

Domestic Media: 

Sandra Njoku Samuel

TA on Media & Communication to the Honourable Minister

Email: Sandra.njoku@fmactce.gov.ng