The 2025 edition of the Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art events, has devolved into the most contentious iteration in recent decades, as more than 100 participating artists, curators and pavilion commissioners are pushing forward with legal threats over a flawed visitor-voted award system that replaced traditional jury-selected Golden Lion prizes. Tensions erupted at the event even before its public opening on May 9, when the entire panel of jurors stepped down in a dramatic act of political protest, citing International Criminal Court investigations into alleged crimes against humanity linked to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The jury’s resignation forced Biennale organizers to scrap the iconic Golden Lion awards and implement a last-minute replacement: public voting by visitors at the show’s two core venues, the Giardini and Arsenale, to select winners in two categories — best national pavilion, and best participant in the central exhibition *In Minor Keys*, curated per the vision of the late curator Koyo Kouoh. Winners of the visitor-voted awards are scheduled to be announced on the Biennale’s closing day, November 22. In the lead-up to the public opening, intense protests also unfolded outside the Russian and Israeli national pavilions during the press preview week, amplifying the political friction that has defined this year’s event. On Wednesday, the protesting artists published an open letter leveling sharp criticism at the replacement voting process, arguing it lacks basic transparency and accountability. The group first requested that their names be removed from the public ballot back on May 20, but say Biennale leadership failed to respond to their initial demand, prompting them to initiate formal pre-litigation procedures. As of the letter’s publication, the coalition includes roughly 70 artists taking part in the central exhibition and organizers from nearly 40 national pavilions. High-profile participants backing the demand include the national pavilions of Iceland, Norway and Denmark — all of which have previously been at the forefront of calls to bar Russia from the Biennale, following Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Prominent Austrian artist Florentina Holzinger, whose acclaimed installation using recycled wastewater from portable toilets outside the Austrian Pavilion has become one of the most talked-about works of this year’s show, is also among the signatories. In its official response to the coalition’s demands, the Biennale circulated a May 28 letter clarifying that it would retain all names on the public ballot “to guarantee all visitors have the freedom of expression.” However, organizers confirmed that none of the artists who requested removal would actually be eligible to win the awards. The protesting coalition dismissed this compromise as meaningless, calling the arrangement a “waste of time” that forces visitors to cast votes that will never be counted toward final results.
Artists threaten legal action against Venice Biennale over inclusion in visitors’ ballot
