Venice Biennale jury resigns over Israel and Russia participation

On April 30, 2026, the five-member International Jury of the 61st Venice Biennale, led by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas and including Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, stepped down just nine days prior to the event's commencement. Their resignation came after a statement on e-flux on April 23, declaring that no prizes would be given to nations whose leaders face charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The controversy involves Israel and Russia's participation; Israel has been absent since the Gaza war began in 2023, while Russia has not participated since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Israeli foreign ministry accused the jury of boycotting Israeli artist Belu-Simion Fainaru, who is representing Israel. Fainaru's legal team threatened to escalate the matter to the European Court of Human Rights, sending letters to the Biennale, the Italian culture ministry, and Palazzo Chigi. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli backed Fainaru and previously criticized the Biennale for allowing Russia's readmission. The awards ceremony, initially set for May 9, has been rescheduled to November 22, with two Golden Lion prizes to be determined by popular vote among ticket holders visiting both the Biennale Gardens and the Arsenale.