Entire jury of Italy's Venice Biennale resigns over Russia, Israel participation

 The international jury of the upcoming Venice Biennale Art Exhibition resigned Thursday in a row over the organisation's decision to allow Russia to participate in this year's event. 

The resignations came a week after the jury said it would exclude countries from awards if the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for war crimes against their leaders – meaning Russia and Israel. 

The exhibition is due to open on May 9. 

The organisers of the event – the world's top international art exhibition – said in March that they would allow Russia to take part but the decision has been strongly criticised by Ukraine and the EU. 

Critics argue Russia's participation will provide a prominent platform for soft power flexing. 

Brussels warned it could cut funding, while the Italian government – which has supported Ukraine in the war – stressed the Biennale was acting "entirely independently" of Rome's wishes. 

Following the resignations, the Biennale said it has "decided that the award ceremony of the 61st International Art Exhibition, previously scheduled for May 9, will take place on Sunday November 22". 

It also said it would hand out two awards, one which could be won by any one of the "National Participations included in the 61st Exhibition, as per the official list, following the principle of inclusion and equal treatment". 

Visitors to the Biennale would be able to vote for the awards, it said. 

'Artistic freedom' 

The decision was "consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship," it said in a statement. 

"La Biennale seeks to be, and must remain, a place of truce in the name of art, culture, and artistic freedom," it said. 

Belu-Simion Fainaru, a sculptor representing Israel this year, told Italy's ANSA news agency after the jury resigned that "artists must be treated in a fair and non-discriminatory fashion, and judged on their work not their passport". 

The resignations came a day after the culture ministry dispatched inspectors to the Biennale over the case, according to Italian media reports. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeated on Thursday that her government "does not agree with the decision" made by Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. 

"I would not have made that choice myself," she told a press conference, but "the Biennale is an independent body". 

The Venice Biennale is an international cultural organisation started in 1895 that presents major cultural festivals and runs its flagship art exhibition and architecture exhibition on alternating years. 

Participating countries set up pavilions in Venice, and the art biennial typically attracts more than 600,000 visitors over its seven-month run. 

In the days after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Biennale banned anyone linked to the Russian government from attending that year's edition. 

Russia was also absent at the next event in 2024, but is on the list of national participants for the 2026 exhibition. 

Artists from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus -- a close ally of Moscow that allowed its territory to be used in the invasion -- will be in Venice, as will others from Iran, Israel and the United States.

Agence France-Presse