The Venice Biennale jury resigns amid tensions over awards ban, Russian participation

A private security officer stands next to a closed Russia's pavilion at the 59th Biennale of Arts exhibition in Venice, Italy, April 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

MILAN — The international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned Thursday, just nine days before the world’s oldest and most important contemporary art fair opens, amid tensions over Russia’s participation and the panel’s decision to bar prizes for countries accused of crimes against humanity.

The Biennale said in a statement that the jury, made up of the president, Solange Farkas, and Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma and Giovanna Zapperi, had resigned. The brief statement didn’t provide an explanation for the highly unusual move.

It came just days after the jury had announced it would not award prizes to countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. That includes Israel and Russia, whose participation in the first Biennale since its 2022 Ukraine invasion has been opposed by the Italian government.

The Russia participation has been a particular sore point, with Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli saying he would not attend previews of the exhibition next week or the May 9 opening day.

The Biennale’s director, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, has refused to back down from allowing Russia to participate, even in the face of a visit by cultural ministry officials Wednesday to gather information about the reopening of the Russian Pavilion.

The Culture Ministry said the officials’ visit was aimed at collecting documents to respond to an EU request for information after it cut 2 million euros last week in funding to the Biennale over Russia’s participation. It added that the ministry had no role in the jury’s resignation.

Giuli, meanwhile, has demonstrated strong support for Israel. The minister had a phone call Wednesday with the Israeli Pavilion’s artist, Belu-Simion Fainaru, to express solidarity in the face of “recent attacks.”

The minister also “confirmed the Italian government’s commitment against every form of discrimination and antisemitism in Italian cultural institutions,” his office said in a statement.

Fainaru said in a statement that he opposes “discrimination, racism, and boycotts in all their forms. I believe in the fundamental principles of freedom of creation and freedom of expression, which must remain at the core of any artistic platform.”

The jury was due to select winners of the highly prestigious Golden Lion for the best national pavilion and best participant in the main curated show on the official opening day, May 9.

Instead, the Biennale announced that visitors will select winners of two awards: Best Participant in the 61st Exhibition “In Minor Keys,” curated according to a plan by the late Koyo Kouoh, and the Best National Participation among the 100 national pavilions. It will be awarded on the closing day, Nov. 22.

Premier Giorgia Meloni, asked about the resignations, reiterated that the government didn’t agree with the Biennale’s decision to allow the Russians to participate, but acknowledged the Biennale’s autonomy. Her government appointed Buttafuoco.

She said that she didn’t know if the resignations were connected to the Culture Ministry’s decision to send inspectors to Venice.

Cabinet Minister Matteo Salvini backed the decision to have visitors award the winners.

“So it will be an autonomous and democratic Biennale,” he said. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

The Biennale has in the past refused pressure to exclude countries, including Iran and Israel, from participating and this year reiterated that it “does not have the authority to prevent a country from participating. Any country recognized by the Italian Republic may request to participate.’’

Since Russia owns the pavilion built in 1914 in the historic Giardini, it was required only to send notification of its request to participate, the Biennale said.

Russian artists withdrew their participation in 2022, and Russia did not present an exhibition in 2024 for its permanent pavilion, which it instead lent to Bolivia. Russia last participated in the International Art Exhibition in 2019.

The Biennale contemporary art exhibition is the world’s oldest and most important, comprising a main curated exhibition alongside national pavilions, which are curated separately by the participating nations.

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Nicole Winfield contributed to this report from Rome.

Colleen Barry And Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press