“Defense of human rights”: Biennale jury does not want to take Russia and Israel into account

No specific countries are named by the jury. However, there are currently arrest warrants from the ICC against Russian President Vladimir Putin for possible war crimes in Ukraine and against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Putin and Netanyahu are not indicted – charges can only be brought once a suspect has been arrested.

Biennale management speaks of the autonomy of the jury

The management of the Biennale said that the jury acted “with full autonomy and independence of judgement.” Their decision is “a position that the members have decided to anticipate and make public.” This is a “natural expression of the freedom and autonomy that the Biennale guarantees,” said the Biennale press office.

There has been a buzz surrounding this year’s Art Biennale for some time. For the first time since the start of its war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been admitted to the important contemporary art exhibition and is expected to use its pavilion again. The decision is controversial and sparked massive criticism. The EU therefore threatened those responsible for the art biennale with canceling millions in subsidies.