The Venice Art Biennale, often dubbed the "Olympics of the art world," is embroiled in controversy this year. The traditional Golden Lion and Silver Lion awards have been canceled after the entire five-member jury resigned just days before the opening on May 9. The jury had previously stated they would not consider countries whose leaders are charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC), directly impacting Russia and Israel. ICC arrest warrants exist for Vladimir Putin (2023) and Benjamin Netanyahu (2024).
Instead of a jury, visitors will vote throughout the Biennale, with "Visitor Lions" awarded on the final day, November 22. This year's event features 100 national participations, including seven first-time entrants: Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Nauru, Qatar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Vietnam. Iran withdrew on May 4 amid rising Middle East tensions.
The main international exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys," was curated by the late Cameroonian-born Koyo Kouoh, who died of cancer in May 2025 at age 57. The Biennale decided to posthumously realize her project, featuring 111 invited participants. The exhibition focuses on marginalized voices and offers a "restorative form of resistance."
Russia's return after voluntarily withdrawing in 2022 has sparked major friction. The EU threatened to suspend a €2 million grant to Italy for allowing the Russian pavilion to reopen. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opposed Moscow's presence, while Deputy PM Matteo Salvini called the EU's threats "vulgar blackmail." The Russian pavilion's commissioner, Anastasia Karneeva, is the daughter of a former FSB general and deputy head of Rostec. Following negotiations, the pavilion will be closed to the public except for preview days (May 6-8), with video recordings shown in windows.
On May 6, Pussy Riot and FEMEN activists stormed the Russian pavilion. South African artist Gabrielle Goliath was blocked from her pavilion after refusing edits demanded by the culture minister, who called her tribute to a Palestinian poet "highly divisive." Goliath is suing the minister. In Australia, artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino were initially dropped over political concerns but reinstated after backlash.
Nearly 200 artists and curators signed a letter calling for Israel's exclusion from the Biennale. A second letter demands exclusion of all "regimes committing war crimes," including Russia and the US. Germany's pavilion, "Ruin," is inspired by GDR research. The Vatican presents a sonic composition series dedicated to Saint Hildegard of Bingen, featuring Brian Eno, Patti Smith, and others.
Source: www.dw.com