On May 6, hundreds of Venetians blocked Venice Art Biennale’s gates during its pre-opening for press and industry guests. The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) denounced Israel’s inclusion in the Biennale, saying “the genocide is not over” and expressing solidarity with “the Palestinians who have been fighting for more than seventy years to resist the occupation.”
Meanwhile, dozens of Pussy Riot and Femen members stormed the Russian pavilion, launching blue and yellow smoke grenades and performing an anti-war song Disobey, which condemns the “f**king fascist bastards” behind the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian and Ukrainian feminist groups said it was their first action together.
The protests erupted amid wider controversy surrounding the European cultural establishment which is accused of “white-washing” governments linked to human rights abuses and war crimes. The Eurovision contest, about to start on Sunday, is facing similar protests and boycott calls for inviting Israel (whereas Russia remains banned since 2022).
Pussy Riot has posted new images on its official Instagram account on Thursday, announcing “day 2 of riots” at the Biennale. The ANGA coalition is calling for a new protest for Friday.
“Tomorrow will be a another demonstration which is crucial because it will be joined with a strike of art workers from the Biennale and outside,” one of the protest organizers told Turning Point. The strike will combine solidarity with Palestinians and detained Sumud Flotilla activists with a critique of art workers’ precarious work conditions.
“The core tenet of this demonstration is art-washing,” she said, adding that “the world of Biennale hides a lot of exploitation of people who work inside it.”
On March 17, the Art Not Genocide Alliance delivered a letter to the Biennale demanding the exclusion of what it calls Israel’s “genocide pavilion.” The letter was signed by 218 signatories including 18 national pavilions, 104 artists, 38 curators, and 76 artworkers. In 2024, the alliance sent a similar letter with over 24,000 signatures, and Israel did not take have a pavilian in the past two years.
