Dozens of Venice Biennale Artists Withdraw From Awards En Masse
On May 9, as the 61st Venice Biennale opened to the public, 54 artists in the international exhibition “In Minor Keys” and 16 national pavilion teams announced they were withdrawing from awards consideration in solidarity with the Biennale jury’s resignation. The jury resigned on April 30 after previously stating it would not consider for prizes countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a stance that would have effectively disqualified Israel and Russia. The Biennale Foundation said Israel Pavilion artist Belu-Simion Fainaru had issued legal warnings alleging the jury’s position amounted to antisemitism and nationality-based discrimination. The Foundation replaced the traditional Golden Lion prizes with “Visitor Lions” decided by public vote, to be announced on November 22, and clarified that all national pavilions—including Israel and Russia—would be eligible.
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This story was covered in Venice Revolts, Art World Loses a Kingmaker