SPACE June 2026 (No. 703)
La Biennale di Venezia, the organisation that oversees the Venice Biennale, announced on Apr. 30 that it had received resignation letters from the jurors of this year’s International Art Exhibition. The International Jury, which consisted of five members chaired by Solange Farkas, was scheduled to award the prizes for National Participations and participants in the International Exhibition.
The resignation stems from the controversy surrounding National Participations from Russia and Israel. The jury had previously stated that countries whose leaders are subject to arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) would not be considered for awards. Although no specific countries were named, this criterion was widely interpreted as applying to Russia and Israel, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are both subject to arrest warrants issued by the ICC. Israel subsequently protested, arguing that the jury’s stance amounted to a measure designed to exclude its representative artist.
The issue lies in the structure itself: while National Participations showcase the artists and their exhibitions, the awards are presented to their represented countries. The jury explained that their concerns were not directed at the individual commissioners, curators, or artists themselves, but rather at the matter of responsibility and representation systematically embedded in National Participation.
Following the controversy, however, the jury issued a statement of resignation, and the official awards ceremony scheduled for the opening day did not take place as a result.
La Biennale di Venezia postponed the awards ceremony for this year’s International Art Exhibition to its closing day Nov. 22 and introduced two new Visitors’ Lions to be awarded by public vote. The Lions will be respectively awarded to a participatant in the International Exhibition ‘In Minor Keys’ and to a National Participation.
