The Venice Biennale previewed its 61st edition in chaos on Tuesday, marked by the unprecedented resignation of its jury over the participation of Israel and Russia. Ukrainian artists displayed a statue of an origami deer from the war-torn eastern front, while Russian pavilion participants danced to house music and Palestinians marched wearing the names of artists killed in Gaza. The jury had stated it would not award prizes to countries under International Criminal Court investigation, singling out Russia and Israel, and its resignation has thrown the exhibition's structure into question.
This turmoil matters because it challenges the very foundation of the Biennale, which features 100 national pavilions alongside a curated exhibition. Curator Marie Helene Pereira noted that the crisis shows how the existence of the nation-state within the exhibition space is now contested, and that institutions must be rethought to better serve artists. The events raise fundamental questions about whether national representation is outmoded in a globalized art world and whether it gives states an undue platform for propaganda, potentially reshaping how the world's oldest contemporary art exhibition operates.