The jury of the Venice Biennale’s International Art Exhibition has stated that it will not consider artists from countries whose leaders face charges at the International Criminal Court. This refers to Russia and Israel.
This is reported by Reuters.
The five jury members who will select the winners of the “Golden Lion” and “Silver Lion” awards from among the 110 participants in the Venice Biennale stated that they consider the protection of human rights to be part of their role at the exhibition, which opens on May 9.
In their statement, they noted that they would not consider representatives from countries whose leaders are currently accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity. Although the countries were not explicitly named, the reference is to Russia and Israel.
The ICC previously issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for war crimes against children in Ukraine, as well as for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza.
The international art exhibition came under criticism after organizers allowed Russia to reopen its pavilion. The Biennale’s decision drew criticism from both the Italian government and the European Union.
On April 23, the European Commission announced that it had sent a letter to the Biennale’s leadership with the intention of terminating or suspending a €2 million grant for the next three years following Moscow’s readmission. The European Commission specified that the Biennale has 30 days to respond.