Artists, curators and art workers strike to protest the inclusion of Israel at Venice Biennale
- 2 hours ago
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The strike marks the culmination of 3 days of protest led by the collective Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA)
Tien Albert, Editor-in-Chief
At least 236 artists, curators, and art workers involved in the Venice Biennale are taking part in a 24 hour strike that has culminated in a protest in front of Venice’s Giardini this afternoon. Several hundred demonstrators participated, chanting pro-Palestinian chants and ‘Stop artwashing’. Accusations of artwashing have been rife this year, with the renewed inclusion of Russia and Israel, and controversy around the US pavilion drawing the most dissent among participants and visitors alike.
The strike, organised by Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), has led to the closure of around 20 national pavilions in the Biennale, including Austria, France, and Ireland, a spokesperson told The Courtauldian. Fellows working at the British Pavilion, which took a hard stance against the inclusion of Russia in the Biennale in its inaugural speech, were initially given the option to decide whether or not they wanted to strike, but ultimately the pavilion closed entirely for the day, a source told The Courtauldian.
Other artists participating in this year’s international exhibition, In Minor Keys, have marked their strike by covering their works with pro-Palestinian posters. However, what constitutes strike action has been inconsistent across participants. Whilst some of the pavilions on strike have completely closed, such as Austria’s in the Giardini, others have remained open to visitors but are simply unmanned, as in the case of Ireland in the Arsenale area. Because its pavilion is interconnected with others, as many pavilions in the Arsenale, it would not be possible to close it entirely. However, some outward communication remained in the pavilion despite the absence of staff. On the pavilion’s PR table, a poster read ‘We stand with Palestine because we know by now that the destruction of Palestine is the destruction of the world’, justifying strike action. However, a QR code for electronic press kits for the pavilion was placed next to the poster, indicating some level of willingness to participate in the Biennale remained.
Whilst some have called for artists to boycott the Biennale entirely, ANGA justified their participation as a tactical decision. ‘Strategically, it’s been a lot more effective to actually make contestation from inside’, a spokesperson for ANGA told The Courtauldian. ‘We think this is a platform to carry on moving forwards’.
All pavilions will reopen tomorrow, which is the first day the Biennale will be open to the public following this week’s pre-opening.
Earlier last week, the jury for the Biennale Golden Lion prize resigned, a move celebrated by ANGA as a consequence of their political pressure. However, prizes will still be awarded to the best national pavilion and best participant in the international pavilion as decided by the public on November 22nd, the Biennale’s closing day. As the Biennale tomorrow, the level at which participants will continue to protest the inclusion of Israel remains to be seen.
