Yto Barrada Says French Pavilion Organizers Knew Her Israel Stance After CRIF Denounces Venice Biennale Project
As the Venice Biennale approaches its May 9 public opening, French Pavilion artist Yto Barrada has pushed back against criticism from one of France’s most prominent Jewish umbrella organizations, saying the team behind the pavilion selected her with full knowledge of her political views.
The dispute centers on Barrada’s signature on an open letter calling on the Biennale to eject Israel from the exhibition. Organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance, the letter was signed by more than 200 artists and argues that “Israeli violence also targets the art and culture supposedly held sacrosanct by the Biennale,” describing that violence as “an attempted annihilation of not just the Palestinian people but Palestinian culture.”
The letter’s signatories include representatives for national pavilions organized by countries ranging from Brazil to Qatar, as well as nearly a third of the 111 artists participating in the Biennale’s main exhibition, which is being organized by curator Koyo Kouoh. Two of Kouoh’s appointed curatorial advisers also signed.
On Tuesday, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) appeared to call on the French government to pressure Barrada into removing her name from the letter. In a social media post, CRIF argued that by signing the petition Barrada “betrays the mandate given by France” and claimed that, because she is taking on an institutional role representing the country, she must adhere to “basic rules and practices such as the imperative of neutrality and the duty of reserve.” The organization also accused Barrada of “abusively” using French governmental agencies for her cause.
According to Le Figaro, France’s ministry of foreign affairs does not plan to require Barrada to withdraw her signature.
The Institut français, which organizes the French Pavilion, confirmed that the exhibition will proceed as planned. “As with all national pavilions, the project is presented within a framework that respects artistic freedom,” the institute said in a statement. “The Pavilion is not affected, at this stage, by external statements or positions taken in other contexts.”
CRIF’s statement arrived a day before Barrada publicly shared additional details about her pavilion. A profile in Le Monde published Wednesday reported that the presentation will be titled “Like Saturn” and will center on a large-scale textile made using the devoré technique, in which velvet fibers are burned away with acid to reveal the material beneath.
Barrada, who was born in Paris and is of Moroccan descent, did not explicitly reference CRIF in the Le Monde profile. But she appeared to respond indirectly by emphasizing that her views on Israel and Palestine are widely known. Le Monde also noted that Barrada lived in East Jerusalem during the 1990s, working as a freelance photographer.
“I believe I was chosen with full awareness of my stance,” Barrada told Le Monde. “Currently, it is far more difficult to be in Southern Lebanon or Ramallah than it is to be here and face minor inconveniences regarding one’s political opinions. I am devastated — every single day. And I am appalled by the leaden silence in the press.”
Barrada declined to comment further.
The episode underscores a familiar tension for national pavilions, which are often framed as cultural diplomacy while also operating within the Biennale’s long-standing commitment to artistic freedom. With “Like Saturn” set to open alongside the Biennale’s broader festivities, the French Pavilion now enters the international spotlight amid a debate over what, precisely, a national representation can be expected to contain — and what it cannot.
