Venice Biennale Strike Over Israel Participation Exposes Deep Divide Among Artists
A 24-hour strike planned for Friday, May 8, is set to unsettle the opening week of the 61st Venice Biennale, where protest over Israel’s participation has become impossible to ignore. What began as a campaign led by Art Not Genocide Alliance has widened into a broader reckoning over solidarity, institutional power, and the role of artists inside one of the art world’s most visible events.
The strike follows a turbulent week in Venice. The Biennale jury resigned after announcing on April 22 that it would not consider for the Golden Lion awards any artists representing countries accused of crimes against humanity, a decision that would have included Israel and Russia. In response, Art Not Genocide Alliance said its letter demanding Israel’s exclusion has now been signed by more than 230 Biennale participants, among them 113 artists, 38 curators, and 85 art workers.
Not everyone is aligned on how to respond. Some participants see the strike as a necessary act of pressure; others are weighing whether to join a protest that could also limit their own chance to speak to an international audience. That tension is especially visible in the pavilion system, where national representation and political messaging often overlap uneasily.
Slovenia’s Nonument Group, which is representing the country in the Arsenale, said it will take part without hesitation. Nika Grabar described the action as “the least we can do,” adding that the team plans to dim the lights, turn off its sound installation, and replace it with a livestream of the Palestinian radio station Radio Alhara. “We want the people from Gaza to have a place in the context of the Biennale,” she said.
Ecuador’s Tawna Collective, making its Biennale debut with an offsite pavilion near the Arsenale, is still deciding whether to join. Its general producer, Anna Shvets, said the team is balancing the strike against its own mission to address colonialism in the Amazon and ecological crisis. The pavilion already displays posters in support of Palestine.
The Biennale organizers said strike actions do not involve staff and that they are committed to ensuring the “orderly conduct of the event,” while maintaining freedom of expression and the plurality of opinions. A demonstration is also planned for 4:30 p.m. local time on Via Garibaldi.
The dispute has also drawn in Russia’s return to the Biennale, which has prompted separate protest actions, including one by Pussy Riot. Israel is represented this year by artist Belu-Simion Fainaru, who opposes cultural boycotts.
For Venice, the strike is more than a single day of disruption. It is a reminder that the Biennale’s prestige does not insulate it from the political conflicts shaping the world beyond its pavilions.
