Her International Art Exhibition is in a state of emergency, as the composition of the jury was announced on Thursday. This development comes just a week after the body officially announced that it will not award awards to artists from or .
Although organizers did not specify the exact reasons for the group’s withdrawal, the move plunges one of the world’s most recognized contemporary art events into chaos, just 24 hours before its May 9 opening.
“Defense of human rights”
The five-member committee, chaired by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, had made it clear that, in the name of “defending human rights”, it would not consider works from countries whose leaders face charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The only two countries affected by this decision were Russia and Israel, as the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
Threats of lawsuits and a political firestorm
The committee’s stance caused a storm of reactions. Israeli sculptor Belu Simion Fainaru, who is representing his country in Venice, accused the commission of racial discrimination, even threatening legal action.
At the same time, the event has been at the center of political controversy since March, when it was announced that Russia would return to the fair for the first time since the 2022 invasion. The Italian government sharply criticized the decision, while the European Commission said it would suspend a €2 million grant if the Russian pavilion opens this year.
The “counterattack” of the organizers
The president of the Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, refused to give in to the pressure, declaring that the festival is “a space of coexistence for the whole planet” without censorship. On Wednesday, Italy’s culture ministry sent inspectors to Venice, looking for any bureaucratic errors that would have allowed the Russian entry to be cancelled.
In a move interpreted as an attempt to sidestep the crisis, the organizers announced that:
- For the first time, the public (visitors) will choose their favorite artists, including those from Russia and Israel.
- The award ceremony is being moved to November, instead of next week.
For now, it remains unknown who will choose the Gold and Silver Lion winners, as well as whether works from Israel and Russia will again be officially judged for the major awards.
