Bermuda National Gallery

SIREN SONGS: 2026 Bermuda Biennial

"Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou Perform'd"

—Shakespeare, The Tempest, 3.3.81–82

Legendarily, the uninhabited archipelago later named Bermuda was discovered when sailors, misled by the seductive songs of sirens, crashed against its perilous rocky shores. The 1609 shipwreck of the Sea Venture—and the storm that caused it—inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest (c. 1610–1611) and is depicted on Bermuda's coat of arms.

Sirens, mythological hybrids of human and bird or fish (mermaids), personify the dual terrors of wind and sea. A dialectical figure, the siren sings a song both soothing and potentially lethal: to follow it may lead to death, yet if heeded as a warning, it could conduct you to safety. This duality—warning and seduction—aptly describes the contrast of voices in the 2026 Bermuda Biennial. The artists' works reflect a dynamic clash of ideas and approaches in a range of mediums that echo Bermuda's origin story.

Staged by the Bermuda National Gallery since 1994, the Bermuda Biennial functions as both an international art exhibition and a local juried showcase. This year's exhibition offers an expansive and intergenerational survey of Bermudian artistic excellence. Half of the artists are first-time participants, their work displayed alongside that of established figures.  What emerges is not a single voice, but a layered polyphonic chorus. Rather than a snapshot, it is a long exposure of Bermudian art history, refracted through the present moment.

The 2026 Bermuda Biennial is co-curated by Akili Tommasino and Julie Crooks. Exhibition sponsored by the Green Family.