Artists threaten legal action against Venice Biennale over inclusion in visitors’ ballot
Artists say the Visitor Lions process lacks transparency and accountability, and the Biennale has kept withdrawn names on ballots despite their removal request.
- Over 100 participants threatened legal action against the Venice Biennale Foundation on Wednesday, alleging leadership failed to remove them from Visitor Lion award ballots despite official withdrawal requests.
- The Biennale replaced its jury, which resigned over Israel and Russia's participation, with visitor voting for In Minor Keys awards, prompting artists to withdraw in solidarity.
- Signatories including 67 artists and 39 pavilions claim the voting process 'lacked transparency and accountability,' arguing that counting votes for withdrawn participants is a 'waste of time.'
- The Biennale Foundation stated it kept names on ballots to 'guarantee all visitors their freedom of expression,' though votes for withdrawn artists will not be considered or published.
- This conflict reflects earlier tensions during the May 8 preview days, when 27 of 100 national pavilions closed to support a 24-hour cultural labor strike amid broader 2026 exhibition protests.
20 Articles
20 Articles
This Is Turning Into One Very Contentious Biennale
Visitors to this year's Venice Biennale are being urged to vote for their favorite artists—whether those artists like it or not. More than 100 participants in the art expedition say they'll pursue legal action if organizers don't take their names off a new public ballot for "Visitors' Lions" awards,...
Dozens of artists participating in this year's Venice Biennale have threatened to sue if their names are not removed from the ballot for the best national pavilion as chosen by visitors to the Biennale and individual participating artists.
Associated Press News
Venice Biennale artists demand names removed from visitors’ ballot and threaten lawsuit
Dozens of artists at this year’s Venice Biennale are threatening legal action if their names aren't removed from a visitor voting ballot.
100+ Artists Threaten Legal Action Over Inclusion in Biennale Awards
Over 100 participants have threatened legal action against the Venice Biennale Foundation, alleging that Biennale leadership has not honored their official withdrawal from the new “Visitor Lion” awards last month. Determined by visitor votes, the new awards were hastily instituted after the Biennale's original award jury resigned en masse days before the event opened, and amid intensifying controversy over Israel and Russia's presence in the exh…
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