The jury of the Venice Biennale, the most important event in the art world, has resigned nine days before the start. This happened after a fuss arose over the participation of Israel and Russia in the international art exhibition.
Sven Van Malderen
Journalist at HLN
The Biennale reports the jury’s departure in a short statement. The jury members had previously announced that they did not want to award prizes to artists from countries whose leaders are being prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
No specific names were mentioned. Of course everyone knew who it meant. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges. The same measure had previously been taken against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Venice Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22. In addition to chairman Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma and Giovanna Zapperi also sat on the jury.
