The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale art exhibition resigned just over a week before the May 9 prize ceremony, after announcing they would not consider artists from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges—an apparent reference to Russia and Israel. The jury included president Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. In response, the Biennale established two Visitors’ Lions to be awarded by ticket-holder vote, postponed the awards to November 22, and reaffirmed that all national participations remain eligible, effectively reinstating Russian and Israeli artists.
This matters because the controversy pits the Biennale’s principle of open, non-censored participation against political pressure from the Italian government and the European Union. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the decision to include Russia, her culture minister threatened to boycott the opening, and the EU is considering terminating a €2 million grant to the Biennale. The incident highlights the growing tension between cultural institutions’ autonomy and geopolitical conflicts, especially regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s ICC situation, and could set a precedent for how major international art events handle politically charged participation.