The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale reported its collective resignation. The corresponding statement was made public on April 30, nine days before the opening of the exhibition.
The statement of the jury members is being transmitted by the ArtReview media.
“We, the international jury selected by Koyo Kuo, 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 aforementioned declaration concerns the decision not to consider Russia and Israel among the contenders for the main awards — the Golden Lion and Silver Lion. The leaders of these countries are accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity.
Later, the organizers of the Venice Biennale reported in an official statement that they had changed the format of the awards ceremony after the jury resigned. They decided that the winners of this yearʼs exhibition would be chosen by visitors who were on location.
To this end, two new awards have been introduced — "Visitorsʼ Lions". They will be awarded to the best participant in the main exhibition and for the best national participation.
Separately, the organizers of the biennale emphasized that all national pavilions are eligible for evaluation "on the basis of inclusiveness and equal treatment", and that the biennale itself should remain "a space of truce in the name of art, culture, and creative freedom". So Russia and Israel will once again be able to compete for the main awards.
The awards ceremony was postponed from May 9 to November 22, the last day of the exhibition.
Russiaʼs participation in the Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is one of the leading exhibitions of contemporary art, held every two years in Venice, Italy. The Biennale includes thematic exhibitions of contemporary art and national pavilions.
Russia was a regular participant in the Venice Biennale, but its participation in 2022 was canceled. This happened on February 27, a few days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This year, the Russian pavilion was called The tree is rooted in the sky.
Before that, the Russian delegate for international cultural exchanges and former Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoy said that one of the messages of the pavilion was that “politics exists in temporal dimensions, while cultures communicate in eternity”.
On March 10, European Commission Vice-President Henna Virkunen and European Commissioner Glenn Micallef spoke out against Russiaʼs participation. They called the decision to admit Russia incompatible with the EUʼs collective response to Russian aggression. If the Biennale Foundation does not reconsider, the European Commission may suspend or terminate its grant.
Subsequently, the culture ministers of 22 European countries signed a joint appeal against Russiaʼs return to this yearʼs Venice Biennale. And on April 29, the Italian Ministry of Culture sent inspectors to the exhibition over permission to open the Russian pavilion.
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