Fighting over Russia and Israel's inclusion ruins the point of the Venice Biennale
The resignations deepen criticism that boycotts and exclusions are turning the art exhibition into a protest over cultural censorship.
7 Articles
7 Articles
At the Venice Biennale, protests, self-mutilation and rage against Israel and Russia. Is anyone left to talk about the art?
Belu-Simion Fainaru wanted very badly to talk about the water. The Romanian-born Israeli artist had come to Venice with “Rose of Nothingness,” a quiet, ritualistic installation in Israel’s temporary pavilion at the Arsenale: water dripping into a rectangular black pool in a silent corner of the city’s former armory and shipyard, disturbing the stillness of the reflective surface, inviting visitors to focus on the movement from absence to presenc…
LVZ - Leipziger Volkszeitung
rnd.deRussia's participation in the Biennial led to heated discussions in advance. Now the Russian Pavilion has been formally opened, but due to the EU sanctions it remains closed to the public. The way regime art works can also be seen in the US's performance.
Manuel Velázquez The resignation of the jury of the Venice Biennale in 2026, motivated by the participation of artists from Israel and Russia with the possibility of being awarded prizes, exposes a structural tension of contemporary art: the conflict between aesthetic autonomy and ethical responsibility. The jury argued that it could not give distinctions to creators from States whose policies are marked by violations of international law. The m…
The 61st Venice Biennale, which runs from 9 May to 22 November 2026, is themed In Minor Keys. Behind this theme is a curator who did not experience her own event. Namely, Koyo Kouoh, the first African woman to head the Biennale, director of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, passed away on 10 May 2025 after a sudden diagnosis of cancer, a year before the opening. Her team realized her vision posthumously. In …
After the controversy over the opening of the Russian pavilion at the event there was a debate on the legitimacy of the participation of Moscow and Tel Aviv and the complicated distinction between an artist and his country of origin. In our daily newsletter we asked our readers what they thought.
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