Abbas Akhavan | Entre chien et loup | Canada Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia

Abbas Akhavan presents, Entre chien et loup, a site-specific installation at the Canada Pavilion, 61st International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia.

Akhavan reimagines the building’s architecture as a Wardian case, an early type of a terrarium, which was used to transport plants throughout the British Empire. With a custom pool outfitted with grow lights to present giant water lilies of the genus Victoria, the pavilion also evokes the Crystal Palace, constructed to house the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, where the plant was prominently displayed. Although native to South America, the water lilies were a natural wonder of the Victorian era, named in homage to Queen Victoria.

In collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK), seeds of the water lilies were first transplanted to the Botanical Garden of the University of Padua (IT) for germination. From there, they were transported to the Canada Pavilion to reach maturity during the Biennale Arte 2026. The structure’s facade, replaced with glass panels, makes the plants visible from the outside. This central installation is framed by additional sculptural works across the pavilion and its courtyard.

Anchored by these magnificent lilies, the installation operates as a satellite garden while the Waterlily House at Kew Gardens is closed for renovation. By re-presenting these plants and cultural emblems within the pavilion of a Commonwealth country established under the reign of their namesake, Akhavan offers a meditative space in which to revisit a pivotal moment in world history and to consider how we position ourselves today in relation to our natural and built environments.

The title Entre chien et loup – literally “between dog and wolf”– evokes the indeterminate nature of twilight, when distinctions blur and a wolf might be mistaken for a dog. In this liminal space, the exhibition invites us to reconsider our relationship to the natural and built worlds.

Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup is curated by Kim Nguyen, Director of Programs at the Ruth Foundation for the Arts. 

Entre chien et loup is commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada and presented in partnership with the National Gallery of Canada Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts, with thanks to supporting sponsor Hatch and our exhibition partners the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Botanical Garden of the University of Padua.

Visit the National Gallery of Canada's website to learn more about the exhibition.