Iran will not participate in the 2026 Venice Biennale, the world’s most important art event, the organizers announced on May 4.
Although no rationale behind the decision was offered, the withdrawal arrives at a moment when Iran is enduring an uncertain ceasefire amid a war with the United States and Israel that has roiled the Middle East.
“Regarding the National Participations at the 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys by Koyo Kouoh, La Biennale has been informed that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not participate,” the Biennale said in a statement.
The Biennale did not respond to a request to comment on the development.
The news arrives days ahead of the Biennale’s public opening on May 9, which will see the involvement of 100 countries, including the recently announced additions of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Seychelles. For the first time since 2011, however, South Africa will not host a pavilion after a legal dispute over a Gaza-focused artwork by Gabrielle Goliath saw the country withdraw.
After an absence of nearly three decades, Iran returned to the Venice Biennale in 2003 and has participated in most every edition since, including in 2024 when its pavilion highlighted the issue of women’s rights under the title “Of One Essence is the Human Race.” The commission of this year’s Iran pavilion was listed as Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, the general director of visual arts at Iran’s culture ministry.
The cancellation of Iran’s pavilion is the latest case in which the 61st edition has become embroiled in contemporary geopolitics.
Last week, the Biennale’s five-person prize jury resigned, abdicating its responsibility to award Golden and Silver Lion prizes, among the most coveted accolades in the international art world. Instead, the Biennale announced the creation of “Visitor Lions,” in which visitors to the national pavilions and the main exhibition will cast votes throughout the entirety of the Biennale’s run. The ceremony will take place on November 22 instead of May 9, and both Russia and Israel will be included for consideration.
The move followed the Biennale’s announcement on April 22 that it wouldn’t consider any nations charged with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, a decision that seemed aimed at Russia and Israel. It remains unclear if the jury was asked to step down by the Biennale.
An earlier flashpoint involved the Russian Pavilion, whose presence has been the subject of sharp rebuke from European cultural and political leaders. On April 28, it was announced that the Russian Pavilion would be closed to the public during Biennale—though it would be open during the four-day preview. The decision followed the European Union withdrawing €2 million ($2.3 million) in funding over Russia’s involvement, a cut that will impact the 2028 edition.