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More than 70 artists participating in this year’s Venice Biennale say they do not want to be considered for the prestigious Golden Lion awards, which this year will be chosen by public vote.
Artists in the main exhibition—In Minor Keys, organised by the late curator Koyo Kouoh and realised by five of her collaborators—as well as artists, curators and exhibition staff representing 22 national pavilions have withdrawn “in solidarity with the resignation of the jury selected by Kouoh”.
Walid Raad, Alice Maher, Laurie Anderson, Pio Abad and Alfredo Jaar are among the artists who have signed the protest statement published on e-flux on 9 May; national pavilion signatories include France’s Yto Barrada, Isabel Nolan of Ireland, Lithuania’s Egle Budvytyte and Dries Verhoeven who represents the Netherlands.
“The jury acted like any conscionable people would have done. I’d rather support them than hope for some award,” the Indian photographer Sohrab Hura tells The Art Newspaper; Hura’s film The Coast (2020) is on show in the Arsenale. “La Biennale di Venezia takes note of [the signed statement]. That means that if they win, they will not collect the award,” a Biennale spokesperson tells The Art Newspaper.
Last month, the Biennale’s entire five-person prize jury resigned amid an escalating dispute over the participation of Israel and Russia at this year’s event. The jury had said it would exclude artists from countries whose leaders are subject to arrest warrants for crimes against humanity—a decision that was understood to be aimed at Russia and Israel.
“We, the undersigned artists from In Minor Keys, selected by Koyo Kouoh, artistic director of the 61st edition of La Biennale di Venezia, and from National Pavilions withdraw from consideration for the Visitor Lion awards. We do so in solidarity with the resignation of the jury selected by Koyo Kouoh,” said the e-flux statement.
The international jury traditionally selects a Golden and Silver Lion, one each for the best National Pavilion and best artist in the Central Pavilion. The Biennale management subsequently announced a new Visitor Lion award system whereby “ticket holders who have visited both exhibition venues during the opening period” could vote for the Visitors’ Lions. Voting is open throughout the Biennale (9 May-22 November); the results are due to be announced when the show closes.
The Biennale, the world’s most significant art exhibition, continues to be marred by protests and controversies. Last week a swathe of countries taking part in the Biennale closed their pavilions as part of a strike in protest against Israel’s participation in the event. The strike action was organised by the Art Not Genocide Alliance group (ANGA).
Meanwhile more than 200 people attended a protest outside the Israeli pavilion last week during the VIP previews while the activists groups Pussy Riot and FEMEN led a demonstration at Russia’s.
Israel is represented this year by the Romanian-born sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru who told The Art Newspaper that “as an artist, I am opposed to cultural boycotts as I believe in the importance of dialogue and exchange, especially in difficult times”. The Russian pavilion remained open for three days during the Biennale preview week. The country’s involvement in the Biennale led the European Union to withdraw funding from the event.
At a conference on 6 May, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the Biennale president, said that calls to ban countries from the Biennale would go against its mission to be “the place where the world comes together”.
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