More than 70 artists participating in the 2025 Venice Biennale have withdrawn from consideration for the Golden Lion awards, which this year will be decided by public vote. The artists, including Walid Raad, Laurie Anderson, and Yto Barrada, signed a statement published on e-flux on May 9, withdrawing in solidarity with the entire prize jury that resigned last month over a dispute regarding the participation of Israel and Russia. The Biennale management replaced the traditional jury-selected awards with a new "Visitor Lion" system where ticket holders can vote, but the Biennale has acknowledged that if any of the withdrawing artists win, they will not collect the award.
This mass withdrawal underscores the deepening political crisis at the world's most significant art exhibition, which has been roiled by protests over Israel's participation and Russia's continued presence. The dispute began when the original jury said it would exclude artists from countries whose leaders face arrest warrants for crimes against humanity, a decision aimed at Russia and Israel. The controversy has already led the European Union to withdraw funding from the Biennale, and last week multiple countries closed their pavilions in a strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance. The protest reflects a growing movement within the art world to use institutional platforms to take political stands on international conflicts.