Days after the international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale announced its decision to exclude the Israeli and Russian pavilions from this year’s official prizes, Israel’s foreign ministry issued a response on X, describing the boycott as “a contamination of the art world.” Posted on April 27, the statement reads: “The political jury has transformed the Biennale from an open artistic space of free, boundless ideas into a spectacle of false, anti-Israeli political indoctrination.” 

Last week, the Biennale’s all-women awards jury—comprising Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—declared that it would not consider “those countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.” Although no specific states were named, this applies to Israel and Russia, whose expected presence in the forthcoming Biennale have faced widespread criticism. The jury's move followed an open letter signed by more than 70 participants calling on the Biennale to bar Israel, Russia, and the US from the 2026 edition, alongside other similar petitions initiated by Art Not Genocide Alliance.

According to a report by ARTnews, Belu-Simion Fainaru, who was selected earlier this year to represent Israel, also responded to the jury’s decision, noting that it “creates a hostile and degrading environment” and is “imposed solely on the Israeli participant.” He added, “In this way the jury exceeded its mandate. I must mention that other states with serious violations are not excluded.”

Despite mounting pressure, the Biennale has decided to maintain a neutral stance and distance itself from the jury’s resolution, with Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco insisting that the exhibition must be open to all countries recognized by Italy. A spokesperson told Hyperallergic, “[the jury] acts autonomously and in total freedom of opinion in the exercise of its functions.” 

The 61st Venice Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22. 

Yuqian Fan is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.