Venice Biennale Jury Excludes Russia and Israel from Awards Over ICC Charges
On April 23, the international awards jury of the 61st Venice Biennale, led by Solange Farkas, declared that it will exclude nations whose leaders face charges of crimes against humanity from consideration for its awards. This affects Russia and Israel, as arrest warrants have been issued for President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The jury will present two Golden Lions for the best national pavilion and the best artist in the exhibition titled "In Minor Keys." Artists like Carolina Caycedo and Walid Raad have shown their support for this decision. After being absent for two years, Russia returns, following artist withdrawals in 2022 due to the invasion of Ukraine. The EU has threatened to withdraw its €2 million funding over Russia's involvement, while ANGA praised the ruling but expressed concerns about the ambiguity surrounding Israel.
Key facts
- The 61st Venice Biennale international awards jury will not consider countries whose leaders are charged by the ICC.
- The jury's statement was published on e-flux on April 23.
- Russia and Israel are the countries affected due to ICC warrants for Putin and Netanyahu.
- The jury is chaired by Solange Farkas and includes Elvira Dyangani Ose, Zoe Butt, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi.
- Artists in the central exhibition 'In Minor Keys' support the jury's decision.
- Russia returns to the Biennale after two absences; the EU threatened to cut funding.
- Israel will have a temporary pavilion in the Arsenale; its 2024 pavilion was shuttered by its curators.
- ANGA criticized the jury for not naming Israel explicitly.
Entities
Artists
- Carolina Caycedo
- Walid Raad
- Guadalupe Maravilla
- Zoe Leonard
- Cauleen Smith
- Kirill Savchenkov
- Alexandra Sukhareva
- Ruth Patir
- Koyo Kouoh
- Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo
- Marie Hélène Pereira
- Rasha Salti
- Siddhartha Mitter
- Rory Tsapayi
- Solange Oliveira Farkas
- Zoe Butt
- Elvira Dyangani Ose
- Marta Kuzma
- Giovanna Zapperi
- Vladimir Putin
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Solange Farkas
Institutions
- Venice Biennale
- La Biennale di Venezia
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
- Associação Cultural Videobrasil
- Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA)
- European Union
- European Education and Culture Executive Agency
- Hyperallergic
- e-flux
- International Criminal Court
- in-tangible institute
- deCentral
- Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial
- Yale School of Art
- University of Geneva
- Biennale d’Arte di Venezia
- Art Not Genocide Alliance
- exibart.com
- Biennale di Venezia
- e-Flux Notes
- Videobrasil
- Adnkronos
- Artribune
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Russia
- Israel
- Ukraine
- Gaza
- Bolivia
- Arsenale
- West Bank
- Lebanon
- Chiang Mai
- Thailand
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- New Haven
- United States
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Palestine
- Venezia
- Israele
- Finlandia
- Lettonia
- Ucraina
- Giardini
Sources
- Exibart —
- Artribune —
- Hyperallergic —
- ArtReview —