The jury of the Venice Biennale has announced that its decisions regarding awards will “refrain from the consideration of those countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.” The two participating states that fit this description are Russia and Israel.
Jury members noted that they are committed to the “defense of human rights,” while the Biennale itself emphasized that the jury acts independently.
As Reuters notes, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children, as well as for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
On March 4, the organizers of the Venice Biennale published a press release listing Russia among the event’s participants. According to the statement, the Russian pavilion will present a project titled “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,” featuring at least 38 artists and musicians. Russia has not taken part in the Biennale since the start of its full-scale war against Ukraine.
The decision to allow Russia back into the cultural space has drawn criticism from Ukraine and its allies, and the European Commission notified the organizers of the Venice Biennale of its intention to suspend or cancel a €2 million grant following the decision to admit Russia. In addition, Russian opposition artists and activists have announced plans to hold anti-war protest actions at the exhibition.
In a conversation with The Insider, artist Anton Litvin, who participated in the Russian pavilion at the 2005 Venice Biennale, fully supported the jury’s decision to exclude Russia from consideration for prizes:
“One can only welcome this decision. Notably, this year’s jury is made up only of women. Unfortunately, the jury does not have the authority to ban national pavilions from participating in the Biennale. Russia’s participation is a personal decision made by the Biennale’s director, so the jury has done the most it could — it will simply ignore the national pavilions and artists of Russia and Israel. We, on the contrary, will not ignore them, but will stage protest actions in front of the Russian pavilion.
It is important to add that the jury members are highly respected professionals in the world of contemporary art, and their refusal to play by the Biennale leadership’s rules — and their choice to emphasize ethics and human rights — does them credit.”
This year’s Venice Biennale will take place from May 9 to November 22.
