Artists Withdraw from Venice Biennale Awards Amid Protests

The 61st Venice Biennale opened on May 9, 2026, in an atmosphere marked by protests and boycotts related to geopolitical conflicts. Dozens of artists announced their withdrawal from awards consideration in tandem with the opening. Laurie Anderson, Alfredo Jaar and Zoe Leonard were among the signatories.

National pavilions from France, Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates also backed the statement. The statement cited solidarity with the resignation of the entire five-member awards jury on April 30. The jury members had announced they would not award prizes, including the Golden Lion for best national pavilion, to countries whose governments or leaders have been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, including Israel and Russia.

This year the Biennale said ticket-holders will choose the winners through an anonymous email-voting process. Award recipients are scheduled to be announced on November 22, the event's closing day. The Biennale features work by hundreds of artists from across the globe and typically attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to national pavilions organized and partially funded by participating countries' governments.

" Russia had not participated since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. The next day, thousands of demonstrators marched in the streets of Venice to protest Israel's presence over the war in Gaza. Some pavilions, including those of Japan, Finland and the UK, closed for hours as artists and curators joined the march.

The Israeli pavilion was closed that morning for a private event, according to a report in The Guardian. Other countries have also faced repercussions tied to the conflict in Gaza. In January the South African pavilion was canceled after its culture minister asked artist Gabrielle Goliath to remove tributes to a Palestinian poet killed in Gaza.

The artist refused, leaving the pavilion empty. In February, Australia's artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino were removed by the country's governmental arts advisory body after accusations of antisemitism by right-wing politicians. They were reinstated after backlash from the arts community.

Calls Involving U.S.

A U.S.-based gallerist who has attended the event for around 20 years said politics felt more present this year than in previous years. The gallerist added that the protests did not prevent attendance or viewing of the artworks.

In 1968, protesters occupied St. Mark's Square and clashed with police during global student uprisings, denouncing the event as a bourgeois institution. In 1974, following the military coup in Chile, the Biennale director canceled national pavilions and refocused the event on democracy and social change.

National pavilions returned in 1976. In 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the curators and artists of the Russian pavilion resigned. The pavilion remained closed for the duration of that edition. The Biennale did not respond to a request for comment about this year's events.