Venice Biennale 2026: politics and protests

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A reading list on the political controversies around the 61st Venice Biennale, “In Minor Keys” (9 May – 22 November 2026).

1. LONG READS

2. MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES

General coverage

Israel and the 8 May protests

Israel’s pavilion was moved from the Giardini to the Arsenale. Over 200 Biennale participants signed an Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) letter demanding its cancellation. On 8 May a 24-hour strike partly or fully closed at least 27 national pavilions.

Russia’s return and the EU funding cut

Russia returned to the biennale for the first time since 2019. The pavilion opened to the press during the preview and was then closed to the public, with a video documentation of the preview week event visible through the windows. Italy’s culture minister stayed away from the opening. In July the European Commission withdrew €2 million of funding; the Biennale said it would challenge the decision.

Jury resignation and the Visitors’ Lions

On 22 April the international jury said it would not give awards to countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges. Israel’s artist Belu-Simion Fainaru responded with legal warnings alleging discrimination, and the jury resigned on 30 April. The Biennale replaced the Golden Lions with public-vote “Visitors’ Lions”, open to all national pavilions, and moved the ceremony to the closing day, 22 November. Nearly half of the artists in the main exhibition, plus participants from 22 national pavilions, withdrew from the vote.

South Africa

Culture minister Gayton McKenzie cancelled Gabrielle Goliath’s planned pavilion work “Elegy”, which includes a mourning for victims in Gaza. Goliath’s court challenge failed and South Africa had no pavilion. The work was shown independently at the Chiesa di Sant’Antonin in Castello.

Kazakhstan

Asel Kadyrkhanova’s installation “Machine” (2013), on Stalinist repression in Kazakhstan, was dismantled on 5 May, days before the opening of the Kazakhstan Pavilion exhibition “Qoñyr: The Archive of Silence”. The Ministry of Culture and Information cited a clause in its contract with the host venue, the Museo Storico Navale. The venue’s management company denied asking for the removal. Curator Syrlybek Bekbota later said he made the decision himself. Over 100 Kazakh art professionals signed an open letter demanding the work be reinstated.

Australia

Creative Australia dropped artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino in February 2025, days after announcing them. After an independent review it reinstated them in July 2025, and Sabsabi represented Australia in 2026.

United States

The State Department dropped the usual independent selection panel and asked for a pavilion that promotes “American values”. Curator Jeffrey Uslip selected Alma Allen. Anish Kapoor and others argued the US should also be excluded.