A new solo exhibition featuring Cape Cod artist Joe Diggs will bring a wide-ranging collection of paintings to Venice, Italy, from Sept. 24 through Nov. 22 as part of programming connected to the 61st Venice Biennale.
The exhibition, "Joe Diggs in Venice," will be presented at Castello 925, Sestiere Castello 925, Fondamenta San Giuseppe 925, 30122 Venice, Italy, according to a community announcement. An opening reception is scheduled from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26.
The show explores the Venice Biennale theme "In Minor Keys" and highlights a shift in Diggs' recent work. Known for figurative paintings centered on family and the African American community, the artist now is creating visual abstractions that blend into what the announcement describes as a spiritual memory of traditional woven surfaces.
Smaller pieces painted on fast-food containers and marked with poker scores and personal notes transform everyday materials into works of art, according to the announcement.
Seph Rodney wrote of Diggs' work: "Yet as I describe one painting, I know I’ve only described one planet within an entire system of swirling galaxies with undying suns, moons, and stars."
Artist's work spans subjects and scales
Diggs is a practicing artist, curator and educator with generational roots on Cape Cod.
According to the announcement, the artist's work ranges from figurative paintings focused on African American history and family memories to plein-air landscapes and geometric abstractions. The paintings vary in scale from large murals to intimate works created on cardboard.
Recent solo exhibitions have been held at the Provincetown Art Association & Museum and Berta Walker Gallery in Provincetown in 2025, Holderness School in Holderness, New Hampshire, in 2025, Brattleboro Museum in Brattleboro, Vermont, in 2018, The Guyer Barn in Hyannis in 2021 and Cotuit Center for the Arts in Cotuit in 2009.
The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod recognized Diggs as Artist of the Year in 2025, according to the announcement. The artist's work is represented by Berta Walker Gallery and is included in private collections in the United States and internationally.
Castello 925 focuses on art and culture
Castello 925 is a multidisciplinary nonprofit gallery founded by psychoanalyst Luca Caldironi. According to the announcement, the venue serves as a gathering place for visual arts, literature and culture while exploring the origins of creativity through exhibitions and conversations.
