The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale announced their collective resignation on April 30, nine days before the start of the exhibition.
The statement of the jury members is reported by the media ArtReview.
"We, the international jury, elected by Koyo Kouoh as artistic director of the 61st Venice Biennale entitled In Minor Keys, have resigned. We do so in confirmation of our Declaration of Intent published on April 22, 2026," the statement said.
The declaration stated that russia and Israel would not be considered for the main awards, the Golden Lion and the Silver Lion. The leaders of these countries are accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity.
After the jury's resignation, the organizers of the biennale announced a change in the format for determining the winners. They decided to submit the awards to the vote of visitors who will be at the exhibition locations.
To this end, two new awards were introduced - the "Visitors' Lions", which will be awarded for the best work in the main exhibition and for the best national participation.
The organizers also stated that all national pavilions are eligible for evaluation "on the basis of inclusiveness and equal treatment", and that the exhibition itself should remain "a space of truce in the name of art, culture and creative freedom". This means that russia and Israel can once again claim the main awards.
The award ceremony was postponed from May 9 to November 22 - the day the exhibition closes.
As a reminder, in March 2026, the European Commission issued a stern warning to the leadership of the Venice Biennale due to the decision to reopen the russian national pavilion at the 2026 exhibition.
And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implemented the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose sanctions against five cultural figures of the aggressor state of russia who justify aggression and spread russian propaganda at international events, all of them related to the participation of the russian federation in the 61st Venice Biennale.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.