Venice Biennale Jury Resigns Over Russia, Israel Exclusion

The international jury for the Venice Biennale's 61st International Art Exhibition resigned on Thursday, April 30, days before the event's public opening on May 9 and a week after announcing it would exclude national pavilions from Russia and Israel from prize consideration.

The five-member jury, presided over by Brazilian curator Solange Oliveira Farkas and including Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma and Giovanna Zapperi, issued a statement on April 22 citing a commitment to human rights. It said it would not consider works from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges for crimes against humanity. The decision specifically affected Russia, whose president Vladimir Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant related to the war in Ukraine, and Israel, whose prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces one over the Gaza conflict.

La Biennale di Venezia confirmed the resignations in a brief statement but provided no explanation. The organization, which oversees the world's oldest contemporary art exhibition featuring a main show and about 100 national pavilions, responded by postponing the awards ceremony from May 9 to November 22, the event's closing day. For...