Paal Anand Selected for Chianciano Biennale in Tuscany

Culver City artist and arts leader Paal Anand has been selected for the 9th Chianciano Biennale, a juried contemporary-art exhibition in Tuscany running Aug. 15-29, 2026. His monochrome myth print Heracles Hurls Lichas will be shown with work by about 200 artists from around the world.

Why it matters: - Paal Anand’s selection puts a Culver City-based conceptual artist in one of Italy’s long-running contemporary-art exhibitions. - The Biennale’s international jury-based selection gives the showing added visibility for Anand’s Mythiq series and for U.S.-based artists in a global competition. - The exhibition spans the Chianciano Art Museum and historic galleries in the medieval center of Chianciano Terme, widening public exposure for the work.

What happened: - Paal Anand was selected for the 9th Chianciano Biennale in Tuscany. - The exhibition runs 15-29 August 2026 in Chianciano Terme. - Anand’s work Heracles Hurls Lichas will appear alongside work by about 200 artists from around the world. - The piece is a large-format monochrome carbon print from Anand’s ongoing Mythiq series.

The details: - Heracles Hurls Lichas reimagines the Greek myth in which the dying Heracles, driven mad by the poison of the tunic of Nessus’ blood, seizes Lichas and casts him into the sea. - The work uses high-contrast monochrome to mirror the frozen drama of classical sculpture. - Anand describes the image as a confrontation between muscle, motion and terror at the instant of release. - The work extends Anand’s broader project of surrealist mythology, shaped by the Western figurative tradition, sculpted musculature, theatrical chiaroscuro and held poses. - Anand says the aim was to make the moment “unbearable and immediate.” - Heracles Hurls Lichas has previously been shown internationally, including at the Arte Laguna Prize 20th Anniversary Exhibition in Shanghai. - The Chianciano Biennale is organized by London’s Gagliardi Gallery. - The exhibition is staged across the Museo d’Arte di Chianciano, with roughly 3,000 square meters of gallery space, and 13 restored galleries in the town center. - The Biennale is open to living artists worldwide, with no restriction on theme, medium or style. - An international jury of curators and art professionals selects participants on artistic merit. - The 2024 edition drew about 190 artists from Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania. - Admission is free. - Each selected artist is included in a hardback exhibition catalogue. - Awards include a €2,500 prize for best overall work and €1,000 category prizes for painting, sculpture and installation, work on paper, and digital and photographic work. - Selected participants may also receive editorial features in the Tuscany pages of La Repubblica. - Award winners receive automatic selection for the London Art Biennale 2027. - Anand is Canadian-born and based in Culver City, California. - Anand works across surrealist photography, holographic and immersive installation, and fine-art printmaking. - Before returning to the studio, Anand spent more than two decades as a Hollywood visual-effects artist, with credits including Hellboy and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. - Anand also did early research and development work on the software that became Autodesk Maya. - Anand’s other series include Priceless Habitats, made in platinum and palladium leaf on vellum, and Piezography Studies, made in seven-shade carbon-pigment monochrome. - Anand is a Graphis Master with 15 Graphis Gold Photography Awards. - Anand is an Arte Laguna World Hall of Fame inductee, the 2026 Arte Laguna Prize USA Ambassador, and Fondazione Effetto Arte’s Artist of the Year for 2025. - Anand’s holographic installation The Ward That Never Closed was featured in the Los Angeles Times in May 2026. - Anand serves as Vice-Chair of the Culver City Arts Foundation and holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. - More information is available on Paal Anand’s Instagram.

Between the lines: - The selection reinforces Anand’s shift from visual-effects work to fine art, with mythology and figure-based imagery carrying his signature style. - The Biennale’s merit-based jury and free public access suggest the event is designed for broad audience reach while maintaining curatorial selectivity. - The inclusion of awards, publication opportunities and automatic London Art Biennale selection shows the event can function as a career accelerator for participating artists.

What's next: - Anand’s work will be on view during the Biennale’s August run in Chianciano Terme. - Award announcements and any related editorial coverage are expected to follow the exhibition. - Selected artists may also move on to consideration for the London Art Biennale 2027 through the Biennale’s award structure.

The bottom line: - Paal Anand’s selection gives his Mythiq series an international platform in a juried exhibition built to reward both artistic merit and career momentum.