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# Dozens of Venice Biennale Artists Withdraw From Awards En Masse
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/dozens-of-venice-biennale-artists-withdraw-from-awards-en-masse/
- Published: 2026-05-09T17:29:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-11T14:28:36.000Z
- Description: Almost half of the artists in the international exhibition plus 22 national pavilions signed onto a statement of withdrawal in solidarity with the jury’s resignation.
- Author: Rhea Nayyar
- Tags: News, Venice Biennale

As the 61st Venice Biennale opens its doors to the public today, May 9, 54 artists in the international exhibition and 22 national pavilion teams have issued their withdrawal from awards consideration in solidarity with the jury's resignation. A complete list of artists, duos, and collectives that withdrew is included at the end of this article. 

The Biennale jury announced its resignation on [April 30](https://hyperallergic.com/venice-biennale-jury-resigns/), about a week after [stating](https://hyperallergic.com/venice-biennale-awards-jury-wont-consider-russia-and-israel/) it would not be considering “countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC)” for awards, effectively disqualifying Israel and Russia. The Biennale Foundation confirmed to [*Hyperallergic*](https://hyperallergic.com/israeli-pavilion-artist-made-legal-threats-before-venice-biennale-jury-resigned/) that prior to the jury’s resignation, Israel Pavilion artist Belu-Simion Fainaru had filed legal warnings alleging that the jury's statement of intent amounted to antisemitism and nationality-based discrimination.

The Foundation then scrapped the traditional Golden Lion awards for this year and instituted the new “[Visitor Lions](https://hyperallergic.com/venice-biennale-scraps-golden-lion-awards-as-turmoil-continues/),” awards decided by public vote that will be announced on the Biennale's final viewing date, November 22\. The Biennale's announcement made clear that both Israel and Russia were back in the running for the new accolades, as all national pavilions would be considered. 

In a statement published on [*e-flux*](https://www.e-flux.com/notes/6783494/statement-of-withdrawal-from-visitor-lion-awards?ref=hyperallergic.com)today, almost half of the 111 [artists, duos, and collectives](https://hyperallergic.com/venice-biennale-names-111-artists-for-international-exhibition/) included in [*In Minor Keys*](https://hyperallergic.com/in-minor-keys-hits-all-the-right-notes/) as well as 16 national pavilion exhibitors issued their withdrawal from consideration for the Visitor Lions. 

The official announcement comes shortly after [multiple](https://hyperallergic.com/hundreds-protest-israels-genocide-pavilion-at-venice-biennale/) [protests](https://hyperallergic.com/pussy-riot-and-topless-activists-rally-against-russian-pavilion-at-venice-biennale/) at the Russian and Israeli pavilions during the preview period, and [yesterday's historic labor strike](https://hyperallergic.com/historic-strike-disrupts-venice-biennale/) at the Biennale that shuttered multiple pavilions and the Arsenale complex where Israel's temporary pavilion is located. 

*Hyperallergic* has reached out to the Biennale press office for comment. 

When the Biennale Foundation confirmed the return of Israel and Russia for the 61st Venice Biennale early in March, the majority of *In Minor Keys* artists and dozens of pavilion exhibitors [demanded Israel's exclusion](https://hyperallergic.com/nearly-200-venice-biennale-artists-demand-israels-exclusion/) from the event in an open letter. Among them, Carolina Caycedo told *Hyperallergic* that she felt that exhibiting artists were being “dragged into a position of complicity by having to share the Arsenale with this State Pavilion \[Israel\] — that was not there previously.”

The signatories are as follows:

***In Minor Keys***

Fabric Aragno

arms ache avid aeon

Laurie Anderson

Sammy Baloji

Éric Baudelaire

Sabian Baumann

Nancy Brooks Brody Estate

BuBu de la madeleine

Carolina Caycedo

Annalee Davis

Bonnie Devine

Nolan Oswald Dennis

rana elnemr

Joy Episalla

Rachel Fallon

Sofía Gallisá Muriente

Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige

Sohrab Hura

Mohammed Joha

fierce pussy

Alfredo Jaar

Michael Joo

Nina Katchadourian

Guadalupe Maravilla

Natalia Lassalle Morillo

Florence Lazar

Zoe Leonard

Alice Maher

Sally Mizrachi

Avi Mograbi & Avital Barak

Tuan Andrew Nguyen

Otobong Nkanga

Hagar Ophir

Uriel Orlow

Alan Phelan

Leonard Pongo

Walid Raad

Mohammed Z. Rahman

Tabita Rezaire

Guadalupe Rosales

Yo-E Ryou

Rose Salane

Carrie Schneider

Hala Schoukair

Berni Searle

Yoshiko Shimada

Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser

Cauleen Smith

Vera Tamari

Jo-ey Tang

Carrie Yamaoka

Raed Yassin

Thania Petersen

***National Pavilion Exhibitors***

Belgium  
Miet Warlop, Artist; Caroline Dumalin, Curator & Team

Luxembourg  
Aline Bouvy & Stilbé Schroeder

France  
Yto Barrada

Slovenia  
Nonument Group (Neja Tomšič, Martin Bricelj Baraga, Nika Grabar, Miloš Kosec); Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Curator

Latvia  
MAREUNROL’S, Bruno Birmanis & Team

Lithuania  
Egle Budvytyte, Artist; Louise O’Kelly, Curator

Switzerland  
Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, Yul Tomatala, Nina Wakeford

Spain  
Oriol Vilanova

The Netherlands  
Dries Verhoeven, Artist; Rieke Vos, Curator

Poland  
Bogna Burska & Daniel Kotowski, Artists; Ewa Chomicka & Jolanta Woszczenko, Curators

Ecuador  
Boloh Miranda, Tatiana Lopez, Sani Montahuano, Mukutsawa Montahuano, Enoc Merino, Tawna Collective

Ireland  
Isabel Nolan, Artist; Georgina Jackson, Curator; Cian O’Brien, Producer

Kosovo  
Brilant Milazimi  
  
Finland  
Juha Huuskonen, Commissioner

Czech Republic and Slovakia  
Jakub Jansa, Selmeci Kocka Jusko, Artists; Peter Sit, Curator

Cyprus  
Marina Xenofontos

Albania  
Genti Korini  
  
United Arab Emirates  
Farah Al Qasimi  
Türkiye  
Nilbar Güreş, Artist; Başak Doğa Temür, Curator  
  
Grenada  
Group Show; Susan Mains, Commissioner  
  
Iceland  
Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir  
  
Moldova  
Pavel Brăila, Artist; Adelina Luft, Curator

**Editor's note 5/11/26 10:30am ET:* This story was updated with new pavilion and individual artist signatories.*