“No to Israel, Russia and the USA at the Biennale”, the letter from 70 artists and curators

The letter

The document, signed by around 70 artists – including Alfredo Jaar, Tabita Rezaire, Pio Abad, Zoe Leonard and Galas Porras-Kim, as reported by Adnkronos – extends a previous request made by the collective Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga), including all the “regimes currently responsible for war crimes”, including Israel, Russia and the United States. The signatories also include three of the five curators appointed by Koyo Kouoh (the curator of the Biennale Arte who suddenly passed away in May 2025) to create the main exhibition “In Minor Keys”: Rasha Salti, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo and Rory Tsapayi. At the center of the criticism is the Venice Biennale’s decision to host an Israeli national pavilion at the Arsenale, where it will be represented by artist Belu-Simion Fainaru. The choice would allow Israel to participate despite the renovation of its permanent pavilion in the Gardens. The letter states that this decision was formally contested on March 13 and criticizes the position of “neutrality” adopted by the Venetian institution. “Allowing the participation of governments that are actively committing war crimes, atrocities and genocide is not neutrality,” the text reads. Fainaru had previously defended the role of art as a space for dialogue: “Art is a place for discussion, not for exclusion,” he declared, underlining the need to overcome political divisions and give people a voice freely.

The signatories also argue that the inclusion of the Israeli pavilion in the Arsenale would interfere with the curatorial vision of the main exhibition and would result in conditions of “violence and fear” related to necessary security measures.

This time too the Biennale chaired by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco did not directly comment on the letter. Moreover, the institution has previously reiterated several times its commitment to “artistic freedom” and the rejection of any form of exclusion or censorship.

The debate is part of an already tense context: the decision to readmit Russia has sparked international criticism and the threat from the European Union to withdraw funding amounting to 2 million euros from the Biennale. Moscow had withdrawn from the 2022 edition after the invasion of Ukraine, following which the Biennale declared that it did not want to collaborate with entities linked to acts of military aggression. In the letter, the artists recall precisely that position, arguing that the same principles should also apply today to Israel, Russia and the United States. The United States will be represented by the sculptor Alma Allen, while Russia will return with a collective exhibition involving over 50 young musicians, poets and philosophers.

Some signatories have chosen anonymity; Among the members there are also collectives and artistic organizations. In the meantime, the investigation ordered by the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, would still be open to ascertain – on the basis of the documentation sent from Venice to Rome – that the sanctions in force for the setting up of the Russian pavilion in the Giardini have not been violated, which should reopen exclusively for a few days, from 6 to 8 May, on the occasion of the preview reserved for the international press, and then be closed again from 9 May to 22 November 2026 when the Biennale can be visited from the public. (by Paolo Martini)

Who are the signatories

The signatories of the appeal are: Alice Maher, Carolina Caycedo, Vera Tamari, Hagar Ophir, Avital Barak, Sohrab Hura, Yoshiko Shimada, Rachel Fallon, Florence Lazar, Carrie Schneider, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Alan Phelan, Mohammed Joha, Uriel Orlow, Natalia Lassalle-Morillo, Hala Schoukair, Gala Porras-Kim, Alfredo Jaar, Thania Petersen, Sophia Gallisa Muriente, Frog Elnemr, Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser, Pio Abad, Anonymous Artist, Yo-E Ryou, Anonymous Artist, BuBu de la Madeleine, Tabita Rezaire, Cauleen Smith, Fabrice Aragno, Rasha Salti, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Joana Hadjithomas IONE for Pauline Oliveros, Sabian Baumann, Walid Raad, Marigold Santos, Rajni Perera, Bonnie Devine, Annalee Davis, Eric Baudelaire, Buhlebezwe Siwani, Guadalupe Maravilla, IONE for Pauline Oliveros, Raed Yassin, Anonymous artist, Anonymous artist, place of doubt, Amina Saoudi, Anonymous artist, Johannes Phokela, Rory Tsapayi, Anonymous artist, Carrie Yamaoka, Joy Episalla, Zoe Leonard, Fierce pussy, Anonymous artist, Ayrson Heraclitus, Berni Searle, Anonymous artist, Theo Eshetu, Anonymous artist, Nancy Brooks Brody Estate, Edward Duval-Carrier, Denniston Hill.