The Israeli pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Foto Luc Castel/Getty Images
The curators’ statement, released last week, was explained by “protection of human rights”. However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry called the move a de facto boycott and said that it undermines the principles of openness of the international art platform, ARTnews writes. The ministry emphasized that the Biennale risks turning from a space for the free exchange of ideas into an instrument of political pressure.
Israeli artist Belo-Simion Fainaru, representing the country at the exhibition, also criticized. He said the jury’s position creates unequal conditions for participation and creates a “hostile environment” towards individual states. He questioned the legal validity of the criteria chosen.
The context of the decision was the ICC investigation into a number of political leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The jury made it clear that this factor influenced their approach to evaluating national expositions.
Biennale organizers distanced themselves from the curators’ position, noting that their statement is a private initiative and reflects the autonomy of the jury. At the same time, the directorate stressed that the exhibition itself does not limit the participation of internationally recognized countries.
The situation unfolds against the backdrop of personnel changes: the jury was formed after the death of the curator of the main exhibition, Koyo Kuo. This has heightened tensions around one of the key events on the global art calendar.
