Seventy-three artists and curators participating in the main exhibition of the 2024 Venice Biennale have issued an open letter objecting to the organizers' decision to relocate the Israeli national pavilion to the Arsenale. They argue this move creates an intimidating atmosphere contrary to the late curator Koyo Kouoh's vision of "radical solidarity" and will necessitate a heightened security presence. The signatories, which include key curators tasked with realizing Kouoh's exhibition, also call for the exclusion of Israel, Russia, and the United States from the event, citing their governments' alleged commission of war crimes.
The letter places significant political and ethical pressure on the Biennale's leadership, challenging its stated neutrality and demanding it take a moral stance by barring nations accused of severe human rights violations. It cites historical precedents where the Biennale excluded or protested against nations like apartheid South Africa and post-coup Chile. This public dissent from within the exhibition's own participants highlights the deep fractures in the global art community over geopolitical conflicts and tests the limits of cultural diplomacy at the world's most prominent art event.