Listening Stone: A Contemporary Ritual in Venice

On the occasion of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, artist Aaron Nachtailer presents Listening Stone, a site-specific installation hosted at Palazzo Santa Maria Formosa in Venice. The project unfolds between May 4 and May 10, transforming a historic 15th-century space into a contemplative environment where matter, memory, and human presence intersect .

More than an exhibition, Listening Stone is conceived as an immersive spatial experience. Rather than offering an artwork to observe, Nachtailer constructs a place to inhabit—inviting visitors into a shared, silent dialogue.

From Milan to Cappadocia: A Traveling Artistic Trajectory

Between April and May 2026, Listening Stone follows a unique international path. The work is first introduced during Milan Art Week within the exhibition YES, BUT, then expands into a large-scale site-specific installation at the Cappadocia Biennial in Turkey, before arriving in Venice during the opening of the Biennale .

This shifting context is essential to the project. Each presentation redefines the installation, allowing it to resonate with different geographies, architectures, and cultural identities.

A Circle of Stones: Space, Presence, and Equality

At the core of Listening Stone is a circular arrangement of anthropomorphic stone figures. These vertical forms do not impose a hierarchy—there is no front or back, no privileged viewpoint.

Visitors are positioned at the center, becoming part of the installation itself. In this way, Nachtailer dissolves the boundary between observer and artwork, creating a shared field of presence.

The circular structure echoes ancient spatial systems found in megalithic and ritual contexts. However, rather than referencing the past, the installation reactivates a primordial grammar—one based on equality, exposure, and collective experience.

Stone as a Living Material

Matter plays a central role in the work. Nachtailer combines river stones, shaped by time, with fragments of architectural origin, embedding both natural and human histories into the installation.

A crucial element is the presence of moss. Slowly growing across surfaces, it introduces a living, unstable dimension to the sculptures. This organic layer transforms the perception of time, shifting the work away from permanence toward continuous evolution.

As described in the press material, moss acts as a marker of non-linear time—an alternative chronology that challenges the idea of the artwork as a fixed object .

Listening as a Collective Act

Listening Stone does not communicate through explicit narratives. Instead, it creates a condition where meaning emerges through presence, silence, and interaction.

Visitors are not passive spectators. Their presence activates the installation, turning the space into what can be described as a “silent forum.” Here, listening becomes a performative act—a shared experience rooted in being together rather than speaking.

This approach aligns with Nachtailer’s broader artistic research, which explores the relationship between natural matter, time, and gesture. His work often reveals the latent energy of materials through minimal intervention, inviting slow, contemplative engagement.

A Venice Experience Beyond the Biennale

The Venice presentation of Listening Stone takes place at:

• Palazzo Santa Maria Formosa
• Campo Santa Maria Formosa 6123, Venice
• Dates: May 4–10, 2026
• Opening hours: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
• Admission: Upon registration
• Preview: May 1–3 (by appointment) 

The event also includes a pop-up bar in collaboration with Gin dei Sospiri, a Venetian gin inspired by the botanicals of Sant’Erasmo island, adding a sensory layer to the experience.

About the Artist: Aaron Nachtailer

Aaron Nachtailer is an Argentinian artist whose practice focuses on the relationship between natural materials, time, and spatial experience. Working primarily with stones, minerals, and organic elements, he constructs installations that exist between sculpture, ritual, and landscape.

His work emphasizes minimal intervention, allowing raw materials to guide composition while revealing their symbolic and temporal dimensions.

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