European Cultural Centre – Italy Biennale Contemporary Art “Personal Structures” 2026
New York, N.Y. — The European Cultural Centre – Italy (ECC) announce the theme and highlights of the biennale contemporary art exhibition Personal Structures 2026, a contemporary art exhibition showcasing global artists and fostering dialogue on personal, social, and cultural growth. The 2026 edition, Personal Structures – Confluences, celebrates the intersection of people, stories, and disciplines, a space where diverse perspectives merge to forge new currents in contemporary art.
“DISABILITY becomes BEAUTY becomes ART becomes CHANGE”
Sara Danieli, Head of Art for ECC Italy, explains, “In an era characterized by profound global transformations, Personal Structures – Confluences explores how personal narratives build ties with collective ones, shaping an ever-evolving cultural landscape.”
Bold Beauty Project (BBP), a nonprofit based in Miami, Florida, was privileged to have been invited to exhibit. BBP’s mission and mantra, “DISABILITY becomes BEAUTY becomes ART becomes CHANGE,” exemplify the exhibition’s message and aligns perfectly with the theme of Personal Structures – Confluences.
Eva Ritvo, MD, stated, “As Co-Director of the Bold Beauty Project, I am honored for us to have been able to present our photographs at Personal Structures – Confluences in Venice. This extraordinary global platform allows us to further our mission: to empower women living with a disability and give viewers an intimate look at the challenges and successes of their lives. We are delighted that our talented photographers, all volunteering their time and expertise, are being recognized for their extraordinary work. Our journey continues with our next exhibition in Cape Town, South Africa. We hope this exhibition will allow many others to join us as we continue on our journey.”
Held alongside the Venice Art Biennale from 9 May to 22 November 2026, the ECC – Italy features over 150 artists from 30+ countries gathered in the historic venues of Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora, and Marinaressa Gardens, helping to transform Venice into a dynamic laboratory of visions, practices, and languages.
Patrice Samara, curator of the BBP Venice Exhibition, reflected, “This is an invitation to see differently—and, more importantly, to feel differently about what we see. Curating this exhibition has been a responsibility, a revelation…and a pinnacle moment. It required not only assembling compelling visual work, but also holding space for truth, dignity, and representation. In a culture relentlessly defining beauty through narrow, exclusionary standards, this exhibition disrupts the familiar. It centers identities and lived experiences too often overlooked, misrepresented, or rendered invisible. Through deeply human storytelling, the works reclaim the narrative, shifting the lens from limitation to authority.”
Featured in the Bold Beauty Project Exhibition are 14 photographs from the BBP’s archives. The photographs, coupled with the women’s personal narratives, create a vivid and dynamic portrait of women with disabilities which serve to reimagine strength, perseverance, and beauty in our world. BBP photographs exhibited at Palazzo Mora include the following works:
Cynthia by Ali Miranda; Erin by Donn Thompson; Evgenia by Ignacio Irazoqui; Frances by Femke Twari; Gabriela by Lisa Nalven; Johnnie Mae by Al Diaz; Joy by Robert G. Zuckerman; Letitia by Alexandra Vivas; Ronit by Susana Aramburu; Rosa by Natalie Sofer; Shelly by Jeffery Salter; Sophia by Raquel Oliveira; Teresa by Kelly Mahoney and Ylena by Maria Socarras.
As BBP‘s first foray into Europe, participating in Personal Structures – Confluences extends the goal of wider recognition and replication. In addition to myriad exhibitions around the USA, BBP has had international exhibitions in Panama City, Panama and Cape Town, South Africa.
In the last several years, BBP outreach to universities has fostered broader perspectives, youthful enthusiasm, and creative engagement with exhibitions at the UCLA, Columbia University, Florida International University, University of Miami, and Yale.
BBP extends deepest gratitude to the generosity and vision of the sponsors who made the exhibition in Venice possible: Alan B. Slifka Foundation, Coastal Wealth Management, Crisis Case Management and the Nestor Family Foundation.
Interviews can be arranged with the Bold Beauty models, photographers, BBP Founder/Co-Director, Shelly Baer, LCSW, BBP Co-Director Eva Ritvo, MD, exhibition curator, Patrice Samara, and designer Michael Glyn, Senior Creative Director.
Press previews: 7 & 8 May at Palazzo Mora. The formal opening: 9 May. The Personal Structures – Confluences international contemporary art exhibition will be on view from 9 May to 22 November 2026. Admission is free and open daily from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, closed on Tuesdays. European Cultural Centre, Palazzo Mora, Strada Nuova #3659, 30121 Venice, Italy.