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The Venice Biennale jury resigns amid tensions over awards ban, Russian participation
Organizers will let visitors choose the prizes after the jury quit over disputes tied to Russia and Israel, ending the traditional Golden Lion process.
- On April 30, 2026, the 61st Venice Biennale's international jury resigned in full, prompting organizers to scrap traditional awards and hand voting to the public, returning Russia and Israel to prize contention.
- The jury's departure followed its April 22 statement pledging to exclude nations whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges, asserting their commitment to human rights defense.
- Stressing inclusivity, the Biennale Foundation maintains that it "rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art," distancing itself from the jury's autonomous eligibility limits.
- Growing global pressure includes a joint protest by culture ministers from 22 countries and objections from over 70 artists, while Europe previously threatened to pull a 2 million Euro grant over Russia's participation.
- Russia's pavilion will remain physically open for only four days, from May 5 to May 8, during industry previews, after which "The Tree Is Rooted In the Sky" will close to the public.
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143 Articles
143 Articles
Shortly before the beginning of the Venice Biennale, the jury resigned. The organizers of the art exhibition announced that they wanted to postpone the award ceremony.
·Berlin, Germany
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The jury of the Venice Biennale has resigned nine days before the opening of the art event. The five-member jury announced the departure in a brief statement but provided no explanation for the unusual step. The decision comes at a time of unrest, partly due to Russia's participation. A few days ago, the jury announced that it would not award prizes to countries accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity, referring to…
·Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources143
Leaning Left43Leaning Right13Center32Last UpdatedBias Distribution49% Left
Bias Distribution
- 49% of the sources lean Left
49% Left
L 49%
C 36%
15%
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