Security in Ruins: Dissent and Protest at the 61st Venice Biennale
The 61st International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, is set to run from May until November 22, 2026, but has faced protests and labor strikes due to Russia and Israel's participation, leading to increased security and public engagement in the prize-giving process. Outside the Russian pavilion, Pussy Riot members protested. The Ukrainian pavilion features Zhanna Kadyrova's piece, 'The Origami Deer,' focusing on themes of exile. Slovenia presents 'Soundtrack for an Invisible House,' while Serbia showcases Predrag Djaković's extensive archive. Bosnia and Herzegovina displays Mladen Bundalo's 'Domus Diasporica,' and Germany addresses violence and East Germany's legacy. Notable collateral events include 'Still Joy— from Ukraine into the World' at PinchukArtCentre, highlighting censorship and authoritarianism.
Key facts
- The 61st Venice Biennale runs from May to November 22, 2026.
- Worker strikes and jury resignation over Russia and Israel participation occurred.
- The Biennale organizers devolved main prize selection to the public.
- Ukrainian pavilion features Zhanna Kadyrova's 'The Origami Deer'.
- Slovene pavilion includes no-Genocide pavilion posters.
- Serbian pavilion displays over 17,000 photographs and documents.
- German pavilion includes works by Sung Tieu and Henrike Naumann.
- PinchukArtCentre's 'Still Joy' is highlighted as the most important collateral event.
Entities
Artists
- Zhanna Kadyrova
- Ksenia Malykh
- Leonid Marushchak
- Nonument
- Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez
- Predrag Djaković
- Tomaš Koudela
- Mladen Bundalo
- Isidora Živković
- Sung Tieu
- Henrike Naumann
- Kathleen Reinhardt
- Jakub Jansa
- Peter Sit
- Bogna Burska
- Daniel Kotowski
- Tadeusz Kantor
- Maria Jarema
- David Černý
- Vyacheslav Akhunov
- Tala Madani
- Nazira Karimi
- Alevtina Kakhidze
- Iryna Prots
- Vladyslav Heraskevych
- Hlib Stryzko
- Nikita Kadan
- Victoria Amelina
- Nika Kozhushko
- Volodymir Vakulenko
- Ihor Mykhailov
- Asel Kadyrkhanova
- Karl Heinz Jakob
- Ilya Kabakov
- Walter Benjamin
- Jacques Derrida
- Theodor Adorno
- Niall Ferguson
- Aleksandar Vucic
Institutions
- La Biennale di Venezia
- Ukrainian Pavilion
- Slovene Pavilion
- Serbian Pavilion
- Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- German Pavilion
- Czech and Slovak Pavilion
- Polish Pavilion
- Starak Foundation
- PinchukArtCentre
- Viktor Pinchuk Art Foundation
- Palazzo Franchetti
- Palazzo Contarini Polignac
- Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia
- International Olympic Committee
- Pussy Riot
- No Genocide Pavilion
- Invisible Pavilion
- e-flux
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- Pokrovsk
- Ukraine
- Kyiv
- Lviv
- Warsaw
- Prague
- Brussels
- Amiens
- Berlin
- Germany
- Karl-Marx Stadt
- Prijedor
- Mariupol
- Donetsk
- Gaza
- Palestine
- Russia
- Israel
- Serbia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Poland
- Kazakhstan
- Palazzo Malipiero
- San Marco
- Dorsoduro
- Procuratie Vecchie
- Il Teatro dell'Arte
- NuoveFondamenta
- Palazzo Contarini Polignac