Judy Chicago: Material as an Act of Freedom
Judy Chicago, Multicolor Rearrangeable Game Board, 1965-1966, Acrylic on wood, 45.72 × 45.72 cm | © Chicago Woodman LLC, Judy Chicago/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York | Photo: © Chicago Woodman LLC | Donald Woodman/Artis
For more than six decades Judy Chicago has challenged the conventions that separate fine art from craft. The Materiality of Judy Chicago, presented at Galleria Alberta Pane during the 2026 Venice Biennale, revisits her career through the materials that have defined her practice rather than through chronology. Historical works are shown alongside more recent pieces, revealing how spray-painted surfaces, porcelain, needlework, glass and bronze all belong to the same artistic investigation. Throughout her career, Chicago has transformed techniques long dismissed as decorative crafts into powerful conceptual and political statements, reshaping the language of contemporary art. The exhibition also premieres a new series of glass and bronze sculptures developed with Venice's renowned Studio Berengo. More than a retrospective, the exhibition demonstrates that material itself remains one of the artist's most radical creative tools.