Venice Biennale Participants Call for Israel's Exclusion Ahead of 2026 Edition
Nearly 200 artists, curators, and staff involved in the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale have signed an open letter urging organizers to remove Israel from this year's program. The letter, released on March 17, was organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) collective, which previously protested Israel's participation in 2024. Signatories include pavilion artists Yto Barrada, Isabel Nolan, and Asmaa Jama, along with central exhibition participants like Carolina Caycedo, Gala Porras-Kim, and Alfredo Jaar. The letter argues that the Biennale should not provide a platform to what they describe as a state engaged in human rights violations, citing historical precedents where South Africa was excluded during apartheid and the 1974 edition focused on Chile's liberation. The Biennale Foundation previously responded to similar petitions by stating that nations recognized by Italy are welcome to participate and that petitions for exclusion would not be considered. In 2024, the Israeli pavilion's curators and artist temporarily closed it to the public until a ceasefire agreement was reached. Israel will participate in the 2026 Biennale with a temporary pavilion in the Arsenale complex, featuring sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru. The letter also references controversy over Russia's inclusion in this year's event, which has drawn criticism and threatened EU funding. The Biennale Foundation has not commented on the latest letter.
Key facts
- Nearly 200 Venice Biennale participants signed an open letter calling for Israel's exclusion from the 2026 edition
- The letter was released on March 17 by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) collective
- Signatories include artists Yto Barrada, Isabel Nolan, Asmaa Jama, Carolina Caycedo, Gala Porras-Kim, and Alfredo Jaar
- The Biennale Foundation previously stated it would not consider petitions to exclude Israel
- In 2024, the Israeli pavilion was temporarily closed by its curators and artist until a ceasefire agreement
- Israel will be represented by sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru in a temporary Arsenale pavilion for 2026
- The letter cites historical precedents including South Africa's exclusion during apartheid and the 1974 Chile-focused Biennale
- Russia's inclusion in the 2026 Biennale has also sparked controversy and threatened EU funding
Entities
Artists
- Yto Barrada
- Isabel Nolan
- Asmaa Jama
- Carolina Caycedo
- Gala Porras-Kim
- Alfredo Jaar
- Belu-Simion Fainaru
- Ruth Patir
- Soi Biri (Sara Flores)
- Walid Raad
- Nina Katchadourian
- Éric Baudelaire
- Guadalupe Maravilla
- Zoe Leonard
- fierce pussy
- Miet Warlop
- Jenna Sutela
- Nolan Oswald Dennis
- Sohrab Hura
- Khaled Sabsabi
- Gabrielle Goliath
- Tabita Rezaire
- Pio Abad
- Galas Porras-Kim
- Alma Allen
- Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo
- Rasha Salti
- Rory Tsepayi
- Khalil Joreige
- Himali Singh Soin
- Sophia
- Nan Goldin
- Sophie Jung
- Jesse Darling
- Cesare Pietroiusti
- Emilia Giorgi
- Mira Lapidot
- Tamar Margalit
- Katya Buchatska
- Andrii Dostliev
- Lia Dostlieva
- Daniil Revkovskyi
- Andrii Rachynskyi
- Oleksandr Burlaka
- Raimundas Malašauskas
- Alice Maher
- Vera Tamari
- Hagar Ophir
- Avital Barak
- Yoshiko Shimada
- Rachel Fallon
- Florence Lazar
- Carrie Schneider
- Alan Phelan
- Mohammed Joha
- Uriel Orlow
- Natalia Lassalle-Morillo
- Hala Schoukair
- Thania Petersen
- Sofía Gallisá Muriente
- rana elnemr
- David Soin Tappeser
- BuBu de la Madeleine
- Cauleen Smith
- Fabrice Aragno
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Mohammed Z. Rahman
- Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka
- Guadalupe Rosales
- Kemang Wa Lehulere
- Sabian Baumann
- Marigold Santos
- Rajni Perera
- Bonnie Devine
- Annalee Davis
- Buhlebezwe Siwani
- IONE for Pauline Oliveros
- Raed Yassin
- Amina Saoudi
- Johannes Phokela
- Rory Tsapayi
- Carrie Yamaoka
- Joy Episalla
- Ayrson Heráclito
- Berni Searle
- Theo Eshetu
- Nancy Brooks Brody Estate
- Edouard Duval-Carrié
- Denniston Hill
- Caterina Angelucci
- Hiba Abu Nada
- Pietrangelo Buttafuoco
- Koyo Kouoh
- Achille Mbembe
- Yo-E Ryou
- IONE
- Pauline Oliveros
- Nancy Brooks Brody
- Eustáquio Neves
- Benjamin Netanyahu
Institutions
- Venice Biennale
- Biennale Foundation
- Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA)
- Hyperallergic
- La Biennale di Venezia
- United Nations
- International Criminal Court
- Human Rights Watch
- B'Tselem
- Physicians for Human Rights, Israel
- Creative Australia
- European Commission
- Art Not Genocide Alliance
- Denniston Hill
- Lugar a Dudas
- Nancy Brooks Brody Estate
- Israeli Ministry of Culture
- Biennale di Venezia
- Palestine Museum
- Artists and Allies of Hebron
- Locales
- Italian Ministry of Culture
- Arsenale
- International Association of Genocide Scholars
- South African Pavilion
- Israeli Pavilion
- Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC)
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Padiglione di Israele
- UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry
- Physicians for Human Rights Israel
- STIRworld
- segnonline.it
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Israel
- Palestine
- Gaza
- South Africa
- Chile
- Russia
- United States
- Gaza Strip
- Ukraine
- Belgium
- Finland
- France
- Australia
- Colombia
- Arsenale
- Germany
- Berlin
- Hebron
- Palazzo Mora
- Giardini
- Sudan
- Myanmar
- Cameroon
- Congo
- Iran
- Kashmir
- Lebanon
- Mozambique
- Venezuela
- Bulgaria
- Brazil
- South Korea
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- United Arab Emirates
- Estonia
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Nordic countries
- Poland
- Peru
- Qatar
- Scotland
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Cuba
- West Bank
Sources
- Rivista Segno —
- segnonline —
- Artribune —
- Artribune —
- Stir World
- Artslife —
- Art Asia Pacific —
- Artribune —
- Artforum —
- Artnet News —
- Hyperallergic —
- Exibart.es —
- INFERNO Magazine —
- ArtReview —
- Art Asia Pacific —
- Artforum —