Venedig im Krisenmodus
The 61st Venice Biennale has opened under extraordinary circumstances, marked by political protests, a jury resignation, and canceled awards. The Biennale's jury resigned en masse after announcing they would exclude Israeli and Russian contributions from their decisions, leading to the cancellation of the Golden Lion awards and a crisis over the international competition's legitimacy. A newly introduced audience prize also faced boycotts from artists in solidarity. Protests, closed pavilions, and pro-Palestinian actions dominated the preview days, with artists pasting protest posters directly onto their works, reflecting heightened tensions.
This edition matters because it underscores the growing entanglement of art and geopolitics, challenging the Biennale's role as a neutral platform for international artistic exchange. The main exhibition "The Minor Keys," conceived by the late curator Koyo Kouoh, offers a deliberate counterpoint to digital overload through themes of nature, spirituality, and physical experience. The German Pavilion, transformed by artists Sung Tieu and Henrike Naumann into an East German prefab building, addresses migration, GDR life, and post-reunification right-wing violence, exemplifying how the Biennale remains a vital space for confronting history and contemporary issues despite institutional turmoil.