Venice Biennale jury ‘will not award artists from countries facing war crimes charges’
The five-member jury of the art exhibition said it was committed to “the defence of human rights”, in continuity with the vision established by Koyo Kouoh, the Swiss-Cameroonian curator who was appointed to lead the 2026 edition of the biennale before her death last year, and would therefore refrain from the consideration of those countries whose leaders were charged with crimes against humanity by the international criminal court (ICC).
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The statement did not mention Russia and Israel, but the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, told reporters that the jury had sent his council a letter saying they were unable to give those artists awards whose governments were under investigation by the ICC. Brugnaro added: “It’s an independent choice which we respect, just as the biennale is independent in choosing to have these pavilions.”
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/apr/24/venice-biennale-jury-not-award-artists-countries-face-war-crimes-israel-russiaVenice Biennale jury quits amid row over participation of Russia
The resignation of the five-member international jury was announced late on Thursday in a brief statement by the Venice Biennale organisers, and came a day after the Italian culture ministry sent inspectors to Venice in search of information about the decision to allow Russia to have a pavilion at the event.
After the resignations, the biennale said it had “decided that the award ceremony of the 61st international art exhibition, previously scheduled for 9 May, will take place on Sunday, 22 November”.
It also said it would hand out two awards, one of which could go to any one of the “national participations included in the 61st Exhibition, as per the official list, following the principle of inclusion and equal treatment”.
“This is consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship,” it said in a statement. “La Biennale seeks to be, and must remain, a place of truce in the name of art, culture, and artistic freedom.”
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/apr/30/venice-biennale-jury-quits-amid-row-russiaToday:
An Italian news outlet claimed that the jury resigned after they were told by the biennale’s legal team that they could be held personally responsible if Israel decided to pursue the matter legally. On Wednesday, a representative from the biennale confirmed to the Guardian that the report was accurate.
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