Full Breakdown
Venice Biennale 2026: Strike, Jury Resignation and the Debate over Israel and Russia’s Participation
5/8/2026, 9:52:52 PM
The Strike and Pavilion Closures
On 8 May 2026 a 24-hour cultural strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) forced the temporary shutdown of at least 18 national pavilions—including Austria, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Some venues closed for the entire day (Austria, Belgium, Korea), while others reopened in the afternoon. The Israeli pavilion in the Arsenale was also locked for several hours after a protest outside its entrance.
Background: Jury Resignation and Award Changes
In late April the five-member international jury announced it would not consider entries from countries whose leaders faced International Criminal Court arrest warrants, a reference understood to be Israel and Russia. The jury resigned en masse on 30 April, prompting the Biennale to cancel the historic Golden Lion and Silver Lion prizes and replace them with public-vote “Visitor Lions.”
Key Actors
- Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) – activist coalition that drafted a March letter signed by > 230 artists, curators and workers demanding Israel’s exclusion.
- Pietrangelo Buttafuoco – Biennale president, defending the inclusion of all national pavilions.
- Belu-Simion Fainaru – Romanian-born sculptor representing Israel, opposing cultural boycotts.
- Nika Grabar – Slovenian artist and member of Biennaleocene, describing the strike as a “deep structural crisis for the Biennale.”
- Pussy Riot and FEMEN – feminist collectives that staged a protest at the Russian pavilion.
Timeline of Major Actions (5-8 May)
- 5 May: Solidarity Drone Chorus begins daily noon performances in the Giardini.
- 6 May: ANGA protest blocks the Israeli pavilion; Pussy Riot and FEMEN confront the Russian pavilion, prompting a brief closure.
- 7 May: Additional demonstrations outside the Russian pavilion; EU threatens to withdraw €2 million funding.
- 8 May: 24-hour strike shuts dozens of pavilions; rally held at 4:30 p.m. on Viale Garibaldi.
Data & Statistics
- ? 20 pavilions fully closed, ? 10 partially closed (Guardian).
- Signatory count for the ANGA letter: 232 individuals (Art Net).
- EU funding at risk: €2 million (European Commission).
Why It Matters
The events have reshaped the Biennale’s governance, replacing juried awards with popular voting and exposing tensions between artistic autonomy, geopolitical accountability, and precarious labor conditions for cultural workers.
Official Statements & Responses
- Biennale Foundation: affirmed compliance with Italian law, emphasized “freedom of expression and plurality of opinions.”
- Italian Ministry of Culture: confirmed no minister would open the British pavilion, citing the inclusion of Russia.
- European Commission: announced intent to suspend its grant over Russia’s participation.
- ANGA: called the Biennale’s hosting of Israel “active institutional support for a state committing genocide.”
Criticism & Opposition
- Dries Verhoeven (Netherlands) warned that Israel’s pavilion enables “art-washing.”
- Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova condemned Europe’s “double standards” in allowing Russian representation.
- Belu-Simion Fainaru argued the jury’s exclusion policy amounted to “discrimination” based on nationality.
On-the-Ground Reports
Visitors encountered closed doors with signs such as “Due to the Italian cultural workers’ strike today, it is not possible to open the British pavilion.” Palestinian flags and slogans (“We stand with Palestine”) adorned several pavilion exteriors.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Russian pavilion’s closure is reported both as a temporary security measure during protests and as a compliance response to EU sanctions; the Israeli pavilion’s morning closure is attributed to a private event in some accounts and to the ANGA protest in others.
Verbatim Quotes
- “What this strike reflects is a deep structural crisis for the Biennale,” — Nika Grabar, artist.
- “The Biennale is not a court; it is a garden of peace.” — Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, Biennale president.
- “ “I should be treated as an equal artist, and I should not be discriminated because of my race, that I am a Jew, and not because of my nationality or passport.” — Belu-Simion Fainaru, Israeli artist.
- “It's weird to me that Europe keeps saying that Ukraine is a shield for the entire European continent, but it opens its doors time and time again to Russian propaganda,” — Nadya Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot co-founder.
- “We think it’s very undesirable that Israel has been given the chance to artwash themselves with a pavilion in the Arsenale [one of the Biennale’s two main venues], and we want to make that clear,” — Dries Verhoeven, Dutch artist.
What’s Next
The public-voted Visitor Lions will be tallied on 22 November. ANGA plans further demonstrations, and legal threats from Fainaru’s counsel remain pending. The Biennale’s relationship with EU funding and its policy on national pavilions continue to be subjects of negotiation.
