Artist Henrike Naumann has died at the age of 42 following a late-diagnosed cancer in Berlin. She had recently been selected as co-designer for the German Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. The Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations mourns the loss of a significant figure in contemporary art.
Henrike Naumann, born in 1984 in Zwickau, died surrounded by family and friends in Berlin after a much too late-diagnosed cancer illness. Her family announced the death. The Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, responsible for the German Pavilion, confirmed the news and spoke of a 'painful gap'. In a statement, it said: 'With Henrike Naumann, we lose not only a significant representative of German contemporary art, but also a warm-hearted, alert, and highly engaged personality.'
Naumann had been selected last year together with the Vietnamese-German artist Sung Tieu as designer for the German Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. The exhibition will run from May 9 to November 22 and is considered, alongside the documenta in Kassel, one of the most important presentations of contemporary art. It was important to Naumann to complete the work conceptually so that it could be implemented according to her artistic vision, the institute stated.
In her works, Naumann connected aesthetic orders with geopolitical constellations and narratives. She used furniture and design to discuss society and politics, thereby building bridges between cultures. Naumann received numerous awards and had exhibitions worldwide. Her legacy continues in her works, the international cooperations she initiated, and the people inspired by her thinking and creativity, the institute emphasized. Her works are currently on view in the traveling exhibition EVROVIZION, which has been shown mainly in eastern regions of Europe since 2021.
