The Venice Biennale, the world’s most prestigious international art exhibition, is engulfed in controversy this year.
The inclusion of Russia, which is participating for the first time since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, has set off protests, while the Biennale’s international jury resigned following backlash over its decision to not award prizes to artists from countries whose leaders are accused of crimes against humanity.
Dozens of artists also withdrew over the inclusion of Israel.
The Biennale is one of several upcoming cultural events that risk being overshadowed by geopolitics: Five countries are boycotting this week’s Eurovision Song Contest because of Israel’s participation, while experts warned of security risks to the FIFA World Cup in North America, stemming from Iran’s participation amid the ongoing war.