A private security officer stands next to Russia's closed pavilion at the 59th Biennale of Arts exhibition in Venice, Italy, on April 19, 2022.Antonio Calanni/The Associated Press
In the latest controversy to hit the politically besieged Venice Biennale, its entire jury has resigned, part of tangled protests against the participation of Israel and Russia in the prestigious international art show that opens May 9.
In a terse statement Thursday, the Biennale announced that it had received the resignations of Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, the jury’s president, along with those of members Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma and Giovanna Zapperi.
Because of the resignations, the Biennale will not be awarding several jury prizes, including a Golden Lion for the winning national pavilion and one for the best artist in the group show.
On April 22, the day after the jury members were announced, the group posted a long statement of intent on e-flux, a U.S. artist-run website, stating that it would not consider for prizes countries currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
It did not specify which countries, but that prohibition would affect Israel and Russia, both of which have national pavilions in the Giardini, the historic Venice park that serves as the Biennale’s main site.
The Biennale is an exhibition sometimes called the Olympics of art. The show is increasingly subject to political pressures because artists, like athletes, are construed as proxies for their countries’ policies.
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The Biennale also announced that it is replacing the sought-after juried awards with prizes to be voted on by visitors and handed out when the exhibition closes Nov. 22.
A representative for the National Gallery of Canada, which organizes the Canada Pavilion, said its show of work by Abbas Akhavan will go ahead as planned.
The jury’s original statement brought cries of protest from the Israeli Foreign Ministry and complaints from Israeli sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, a Romanian emigré who also represented his native country in 2019.
In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, he compared his exclusion from consideration for the juried prizes with the treatment of his father in Romania during the Second World War, when he was fired from his university post and sent to a labour camp.
It is unclear from the Biennale’s press release and the jury’s brief resignation statement, which simply points to their original statement of intent, whether they were asked to resign because they had declined to consider all participants.
On April 22, they had said they were working to respect the approach of Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian-Swiss curator who had selected the 110 participants for the 2026 international group exhibition before her sudden death from cancer a year ago. Her theme, In Minor Keys, was intended as a statement against the overdeveloped Western world, celebrating spiritual and environmental themes.
The Biennale had previously struck a workaround for Russia, allowing that country to open its pavilion only for the preview days that begin May 5 and are reserved for art-world professionals and critics. The pavilion would then be closed to the general public.
That compromise has not pleased the Italian government, which is investigating whether the pavilion contravenes sanctions against Russia, nor Italy’s EU partners, who are cutting the Biennale’s 2028 grant. In 2024, Russia was excluded from participating because of its invasion of Ukraine and instead lent its pavilion to Bolivia.
The Israeli pavilion was closed that year when artist Ruth Patir said she would only open her show at the venue when there was a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza and the Israeli hostages held by Hamas were returned home. Despite her decision, a pro-Palestinian protest was held outside the pavilion during the preview week.
The Biennale’s structure as an art competition among nation states is proving increasingly controversial, or at least uncomfortable, for some countries. In 2024, the Netherlands chose to hand over its pavilion to a plantation workers’ art collective from the Democratic Republic of the Congo whose work considers the impact of resource extraction in that country.
This year, there has also been criticism of the American approach: After many delays, the U.S. government named Jenni Parido, a former owner of pet-food stores with no curatorial experience, as the commissioner for its pavilion. She chose sculptor Alma Allen, a lesser-known American sculptor who lives in Mexico City.
Established in the 19th century in the era of world fairs, the Biennale’s classical architecture includes permanent pavilions, nestled around the Giardini, dedicated to the European powers. One large white building – which used to be the Italian pavilion – houses the international group exhibition that provides a theme for the year.
At the core of the site, the British, French and German pavilions stand in a semi-circle with the smaller Canada Pavilion, not built until 1958, tucked in between them. This year, it will feature work by Mr. Akhavan, a Montreal artist of Iranian heritage.
Traditionally, the contents of Biennale shows are kept secret until the exhibition opens. Mr. Akhavan’s previous work includes large-scale installations that use constructed and natural materials, such as stone, plants and water elements pumped into the gallery.
Countries who joined the Biennale more recently, such as Chile, China, Indonesia and South Africa, have spaces at the Arsenale, the second site, which uses a series of old naval warehouses to accommodate both more national pavilions and a second helping of the main show.
Meanwhile, some countries who can’t get space there will find other accommodation scattered around Venice. This year, 100 countries are participating in the Biennale.