On 23 April, the Venice Biennale jury announced that it will not hand out awards to artists from countries whose leaders are facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).<\/p>\n
The\u00a0all female<\/a> jury, comprising Solange Oliveira Farkas (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi ruled that the countries in question \u2013 understood to refer to Israel and Russia \u2013 will be ineligible for its top prizes. These are the Golden Lion for best national participation, the Golden Lion for Best Participant in the International Exhibition and Silver Lion for promising young participant \u2013 citing their commitment to \u200b\u201cthe defence of human rights\u201d, and the vision of the late Koyo Kouoh, the Swiss-Cameroonian curator appointed to lead this edition before her death in\u00a02025.<\/p>\n The international contemporary art exhibition was established in 1895, runs from May 9\u00a0to November 22 at the traditional\u00a0Giardini<\/a> and\u00a0Arsenale<\/a> venues, along with various locations throughout Venice, Italy. It is one of the most prominent cultural events in the world, bringing together artists from more than 100 countries across national pavilions.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2023, the ICC, issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in 2023 over alleged deportations of Ukrainian children. A\u00a0warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu followed in 2024, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Both governments have rejected the court\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n Neither Russia nor Israel are mentioned by name in the jury\u2019s statement \u2013 a\u00a0fact that critics have already seized on, with the\u00a0Art Not Genocide Alliance<\/a> inviting the jurors to go further and sign an open letter calling for full exclusion. Both countries are currently set to exhibit at their pavilions in the upcoming edition.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the European Commission has cut a\u00a0\u20ac2 million<\/a>\u00a0(\u00a31.73m) grant to the Biennale over Russia\u2019s return \u2013 its first participation since 2022 \u2013 giving the institution 30\u00a0days to defend its decision.\u00a0Finland\u2019s government<\/a>\u00a0has gone further, saying that it will boycott the Biennale entirely if Russia is permitted to participate.\u00a0<\/p>\n Commenting on the announcement, the Biennale told\u00a0ARTnews<\/a>:\u00a0\u200b\u201cThe Jury of the Biennale Arte 2026, like all juries of La Biennale di Venezia\u2019s Exhibitions and Festivals, acts autonomously and in total freedom of opinion in the exercise of its functions.\u201d<\/p>\n Noah Petersons is a\u00a0freelance journalist. Follow him on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buy your copy of Huck 83 here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram<\/a> for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.<\/p>\n Support stories like this by becoming a\u00a0member of Club Huck<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n