61st Venice Biennale Opens Amid Protests, Without Jury or Ceremony
The 61st Venice Biennale opened on May 11, 2026, without an opening ceremony or jury, following the jury's resignation over a dispute regarding the participation of Russia and Israel. Despite controversies, attendance surged to 10,000 visitors on opening day, a 10% increase from the previous edition. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stated, 'Putin won at the Biennale,' while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini visited the Russian pavilion and warned against censorship. Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the event as 'a garden of peace.' Russia's pavilion, closed to the public but showing a performance on a screen, marks its first participation since invading Ukraine, with 50 state-selected artists. Critics, including Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova, condemned it as hybrid warfare. Ukraine protested Russia's return, presenting artist Zhanna Kadyrova's 'Origami Deer' sculpture, salvaged from Pokrovsk in 2024. The Israeli pavilion's designer Belu-Simion Fainaru reported feeling 'completely isolated.' Protests included 2,000 demonstrators on Friday, and 20 national pavilions closed in solidarity. The Biennale is also overshadowed by the deaths of curator Koyo Kouoh (cancer, age 57) and artist Henrike Naumann (cancer, age 41), who was to represent Germany. The German pavilion, designed by Naumann and Sung Tieu, features over three million mosaic tiles covering the 1938 fascist architecture with an image of a Berlin prefab building.
Key facts
- 61st Venice Biennale opened May 11, 2026 without ceremony or jury
- Jury resigned over dispute about Russia and Israel participation
- 10,000 visitors on opening day, 10% more than previous edition
- Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said 'Putin won at the Biennale'
- Deputy PM Matteo Salvini visited Russian pavilion, warned against censorship
- Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco called it 'a garden of peace'
- Russia's pavilion closed to public, shows performance on screen
- 50 state-selected Russian artists participated in 'The Tree is Rooted in Heaven'
- Ukraine protested Russia's return, presented Zhanna Kadyrova's 'Origami Deer'
- Israeli pavilion designer Belu-Simion Fainaru felt 'completely isolated'
- 2,000 protesters demonstrated Friday; 20 national pavilions closed
- Curator Koyo Kouoh died of cancer at 57; artist Henrike Naumann died at 41
- German pavilion by Naumann and Sung Tieu uses 3 million mosaic tiles
Entities
Artists
- Koyo Kouoh
- Henrike Naumann
- Sung Tieu
- Zhanna Kadyrova
- Belu-Simion Fainaru
- Nadya Tolokonnikova
- Anastassija Karnejewa
- Derrick Adams
- Lubaina Himid
- Alfredo Jaar
- Florentina Holzinger
- Marie Hélène Pereira
- Rasha Salti
- Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo
- Rory Tsapayi
- Siddhartha Mitter
- Tetyana Berezhna
- Hlib Stryzhko
- Nataliya Gumenyuk
- Tacita Dean
- Janet Cardiff
- George Bures Miller
- Nikita Kadan
- Gabrielle Goliath
- Kirill Savchenkov
- Avital Bar-Shay
- Sorin Heller
- Alma Allen
- Abbas Akhavan
- Tabita Rezaire
- Pussy Riot
- Solange Farkas
- Nabil Nahas
- FEMEN
Institutions
- Venice Biennale
- Pussy Riot
- Corriere della Sera
- Welt
- Ansa
- Rostec
- Russian Pavilion
- Ukrainian Pavilion
- Iranian Pavilion
- Israeli Pavilion
- British Pavilion
- Austrian Pavilion
- Polish Pavilion
- Gagosian
- In Minor Keys
- The Guardian
- Italian Ministry of Culture
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- European Commission
- Italy's Culture Ministry
- Biennale Foundation
- Victor Pinchuk Foundation
- PinchukArtCentre
- Palazzo Contarini Polignac
- South Africa's Department of Sport, Arts and Culture
- Art Not Genocide Alliance
- Artlyst
- Bienal de Veneza
- FEMEN
- Leão de Ouro
- Biennale di Venezia
- Femen
- International Criminal Court
- European Union
- La Biennale di Venezia
- France 24
- Italian government
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Russia
- Israel
- Ukraine
- Pokrovsk
- Donetsk
- Germany
- Berlin
- Arsenale
- Giardini
- Iran
- United States
- Beirut
- Lebanon
- Cameroon
- Switzerland
- France
- Chile
- South Africa
- Canada
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Japan
- Macedonia
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
- Spain
- Egypt
- Finland
- Luxembourg
- Palazzo Contarini Polignac
- Castello
- Amazon
- Gaza
- Sudan
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- Veneza
- Ucrânia
- Estados Unidos
- Áustria
- África do Sul
- Rome
- Brussels
- Moscow