On the occasion of the 61st Venice Biennale, Jennifer West (@jwest20011 ) will present Stitched Cosmos, an exhibition of new works curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi (@the_internet_saga ).
The exhibition will open its doors on May 6, 2026, at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, in the Dorsoduro district, integrating with the institution’s daily activities. The ground floor of the city’s oldest university will be transformed into a psychedelic device for contemplating the cosmos, thanks to the work the artist has carried out on the invaluable collection of the Harvard Plate Stacks at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Through a new environmental installation, Jennifer West celebrates the often overlooked yet fundamental work of a group of women scientists known as the Harvard Astronomical Computers, paying tribute to all forms of female labor that have long gone unrecognized. The show reclaims the role of scientific research at a time when it appears to be defunded and under attack.
Jennifer West’s exhibition is part of an ongoing series curated by the duo Francesco Urbano Ragazzi during the Biennale Arte in Venice since 2015. Each iteration unfolds within historical sites across the city, where cultural memory intersects with the uses and misuses of contemporary life.
Stitched Cosmos at Ca' Foscari University of Venice is supported by Hyphen-Group and the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, with the generous contribution of Justine Alexandria Tek on behalf of Yuz Foundation, the Kira A. Princess of Prussia Foundation and the Jenni Crain Foundation, an initiative dedicated to preserving the legacy of the esteemed artist and curator. The research has been funded by the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship 2025–2026 and the University of Southern California’s Advancing Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences Research and Creative Project Grant 2025–2026. Media partner: Radius Books.
