Iran’s participation in the 61st Venice Biennale remains uncertain after a public contradiction emerged between the Biennale Foundation and Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (MCIG). The Biennale Foundation had announced that Iran would not participate in the 2026 edition, curated by Koyo Kouoh, but Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, director general of visual arts at the MCIG and commissioner of the Iranian Pavilion, stated in an interview with the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) that Iran never submitted a withdrawal letter. Instead, Iran requested more time and sent a letter on May 10 asking for the pavilion to open even if ineligible for prizes. Mahdizadeh Tehrani cited the US-Israel war with Iran as causing currency fluctuations that nearly tripled projected costs, complicating prior agreements, and noted that Iran had proposed a shorter exhibition period, which the Biennale rejected.
This dispute matters because it highlights the intersection of geopolitics, funding, and institutional diplomacy in the art world. Iran’s potential absence comes amid broader tensions at the Venice Biennale, where the international jury has resigned, national pavilions have withdrawn from awards consideration, and protests have occurred. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the need for participation given current global events, underscoring how national pavilions serve as soft-power tools. The outcome could set a precedent for how biennials handle financial and political pressures from participating nations, especially those facing sanctions or conflict.