A radio station becomes a site of learning, exchange and critical listening this May as Radio GAMeC launches Pedagogy of Hope in Venice, a Collateral Event of the Biennale Arte 2026.
Broadcasting live from 5th–10th May from the historic Radio Vanessa—a clandestine station founded in 1978 and still operating in the city centre—the project marks the first time Radio GAMeC moves beyond its origins in Bergamo. Following the opening week, programming will continue online via its dedicated platform through to 22nd November.
Curated by Lorenzo Giusti and Lara Facco, the 2026 edition takes inspiration from the ideas of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, framing education as a practice rooted in freedom, autonomy and transformation. The project asks urgent questions: what forms of knowledge are needed to navigate contemporary reality, and how can learning remain critical in an age shaped by algorithms and digital systems?
In dialogue with this year’s Biennale theme In Minor Keys, conceived by Koyo Kouoh, Radio GAMeC foregrounds decentralised perspectives and non-hegemonic forms of knowledge. The radio format becomes both medium and method—a space for listening, conversation and collective inquiry.
The programme unfolds as an evolving series of discussions, bringing together artists, theorists, curators and scientists. Contributors include Éric Baudelaire, Egl? Budvytyt?, Gala Porras-Kim and Hito Steyerl, alongside figures such as Ahmet Ö?üt, Cecilia Vicuña and Sammy Baloji. Across disciplines, conversations will address themes including decoloniality, disability aesthetics, digital mediation and the politics of representation.
Beyond the arts, the programme expands into science, philosophy and media studies, with participants such as McKenzie Wark and Tim Ingold contributing to a wider exploration of how knowledge is produced and shared.
Each broadcast is introduced by a newly commissioned sound work, Pedagogy of Hope, by Nyokabi Kari?ki, whose practice spans experimental music, sound art and East African traditions.
During the opening week, the project’s physical headquarters in Castello will be open to the public as a space for listening and participation, bridging live radio, on-site encounters and digital streaming. Over the course of the Biennale, Radio GAMeC will continue to evolve as an open platform—its content eventually entering the archive of La Biennale di Venezia and remaining accessible online.
Positioned between broadcast, exhibition and public forum, Pedagogy of Hope reimagines radio as a critical tool—one that doesn’t just transmit information, but actively reshapes how we listen, learn and engage with the world.
LISTEN: radio.gamec.it
Broadcasting live from 5th–10th May
