Venice Biennale remains without a jury, clashes over Russia and Israel intensify

The decision to allow Russia and Israel to participate in the Venice Art Biennale has led to the resignation of the jury. The winners will be selected by public vote, while clashes have intensified in political circles.

The 61st Venice Biennale has lost its international jury just days before its preliminary opening - the sharpest point yet in a protracted debate over the participation of Israel and Russia in this year's edition.

The five-member jury, chaired by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, had announced on April 22 that it would “refrain from examining” countries whose leaders are subject to arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court – a direct reference to Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.

On April 30, the jury members resigned collectively, stating: "We, the international jury selected by Koyo Kouoh, artistic director of the 61st edition of the 'In Minor Keys' Biennale, have resigned. We do so in accordance with our statement issued on April 22, 2026."

It is not clear whether the jury was asked to withdraw by the Biennale Foundation. In a statement released the same day, the Biennale organizers accepted the jury's resignation and announced that the awards ceremony would be postponed from May 9 to November 22, the last day of the exhibition.

In the absence of a traditional jury, the Biennial has opened the voting process to the public for the first time.

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“This is in line with the founding spirit of the Biennale, based on openness, dialogue and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship,” the Foundation announced. “The Venice Biennale aims to be – and must remain – a place of truce in the name of art, culture and artistic freedom.”

The jury was chaired by Solange Oliveira Farkas, founder and artistic director of the cultural association “Videobrasil”, and included Zoe Butt, curator and founder of the “in-tangible” institute and artistic director of “Decentral” in Chiang Mai, Elvira Dyangani Ose, curator and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennial, Marta Kuzma, curator and professor at the Yale School of Art, and Giovanna Zapperi, art historian and professor at the University of Geneva.

The Biennale announced that visitors will choose the winners of two awards: the “Golden Lion”: “Best Participant” in the 61st exhibition “In Minor Keys” and “Best Participation” among the 100 national pavilions. The awards will be presented on the closing day, November 22.

Koyo Kouoh, who was chosen as the lead curator — the first African woman to hold the role — had designed the framework for the “In Minor Keys” exhibition before being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer from which she died last year at the age of 57.

These latest developments come as the art world prepares to gather in Venice for preview days starting on May 5, ahead of the exhibition's public opening on May 9.

The backlash against the jury's previous stance was immediate. The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized the move as politicizing the exhibition, while Israeli artist Belu-Simion Fainaru said it created a "hostile and degrading environment" and put his country at a disadvantage.

Belu-Simion Fainaru, a sculptor representing Israel this year, had consulted lawyers regarding the Biennale jury's decision. On Wednesday, Italy's culture minister called Fainaru to express his support, according to a press release.

Fainaru, 66, said in an interview that he was pleased that the jury had resigned.

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"Their decision discriminated against me on the basis of race," he said. "I am an artist and I have equal rights and cannot be judged by my nationality or race. I should only be judged by the quality and message of my art," Fainaru said.

Fainaru said the jury's initial verdict reminded him of the actions taken against his father in Romania during World War II. At that time, according to Fainaru, his father was banned from teaching at the university and then sent to a forced labor camp for three years.

"I didn't think discrimination would happen to me or any other artist working in Italy today," Fainaru said.

Other Italian political figures also reacted. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated that the government did not support the decision taken by the Biennale's president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, to allow Russia to participate, while recognizing the Biennale's autonomy.

"I myself would not have made this choice," she said at a press conference. "But the Biennale is an independent body."

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini welcomed the decision to move to a public vote, describing it as a positive alternative to decisions made by a jury.

In a previous statement, the organizers had defended the jury's independence, describing its stance as "a natural expression of the freedom and autonomy" that the institution guarantees.

The resignations and the introduction of visitor-led awards mark a significant departure from the long-standing traditions of the Venice Biennale – which dates back to 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was held – adding further uncertainty to an edition already shaped by political tensions and institutional turmoil.

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The Biennale's contemporary art exhibition is the oldest and most important in the world, featuring a main curated exhibition alongside national pavilions, which are curated separately by the participating countries. The art biennale typically attracts more than 600 visitors over its seven-month run.

This text is based on reports from world media. Prepared by: Edona Binaku