Jan Fabre. The Quiet Source in Venice: sculptures in dialogue with

Jan Fabre. The Quiet Source — Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice

From 9 May to 22 November 2026, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice presents Jan Fabre. The Quiet Source, a show featuring three new sculptures by the Belgian artist placed along the building’s central axis to engage with Tintoretto's monumental cycle.

The exhibited works are:

• The Man Who Holds the Sword (Oath of My Father) — a figure raising a sword, bearing the artist’s father's face;
• The Artist as a Stray Dog in His Basket — the artist depicted as a stray dog curled in a basket, with a marmot on its back;
• The Man Who Cuts the Grass — a piece with participatory intent showing the artist’s brother cutting blades of grass.

Cast in silicon bronze, the works’ reflective surfaces amplify light and establish a powerful contrast with Renaissance painting: the exhibition stages a conversation between epochs around recurring themes of family, memory and personal mythology.

Practical information

• Dates: 09/05/2026 – 22/11/2026
• Venue: Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice
• Opening hours: daily 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM (last admission 5:00 PM)
• Tickets: full €12.00; reduced €10.00 / €8.00
• Curators: Giacinto Di Pietrantonio and Katerina Koskina
• Organisers: Galleria Gaburro and Linda and Guy Pieters Foundation

The installation runs through the ground and upper floors like a metaphorical backbone, prompting visitors to consider the relationship between viewing and participation. One sculpture is designed to be sat upon, shifting the boundary between observer and artwork and introducing an element of performance into the sculptural encounter.

Practical tip: allow 45–60 minutes to appreciate fully the interplay between Fabre’s sculptures and Tintoretto’s paintings.