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61 is Venice Biennale The vernissage began on Tuesday under gray clouds and drizzling rain, as political tensions, parties and protests abounded in the world’s biggest event.
Lubaina Himid, who immigrated to Britain, who worked on the creation of the work that he had already chosen for the government of his country, took over the palace of the UK with his large pictures and sound paintings that remember “a perfect British summer’s day“.
Down the hill from the British square, as the rain fell on a poor Venetian spring day, techno music emanated from the Russian bar, which had large cases of prosecco placed outside while the drinks flowed inside.
The festival was resounding for a country that, despite the growing clamor for it to be banned, managed to make an appearance at the top event in Europeafter not showing in the last two editions due to the cry of his war in Ukraine.
Before that, the judges – who choose the winner of the Golden Lion awards – he left many jobs after saying that he would not consider immigration from countries whose leaders had international arrest warrants (a move that would prevent them from including Russia and Israel).
On Monday, the Italian Ministry of Culture confirmed that the Russian stadium will not be open to the public when the event will be fully open on May 9. However, the work, which contains flower sculptures, will be visible through the window.
Tetyana Berezhna, Ukraine’s culture minister, told the Guardian that not opening the Russian theater to the public was a “useful step” but that the country’s “symbolic presence” was still strong.
“Traditional towers create a global perspective,” he said. They define what is considered acceptable and whose voice is raised.
There was some international shock to the incident. The Iranian entry came out without giving a reason, as the ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be breaking down.
Midnight in fields – a garden from the Napoleonic era where the national pavilions are and the artworks come down every two years – there was an exhibition of artists who are part of the exhibition In Minor Keys. About 60 artists participated in the Solidarity Drone Chorus, humming songs and walking slowly through the garden to protest Israel’s involvement.
More than 200 artists, including Lubaina Himid and Alfredo Jaar, signed an open letter calling for the removal of the Israeli building, which was launched on Tuesday.
This year’s event has no director, Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian-Swiss art director himself. He died in May 2025. The team of curators he installed – made up of Marie Hélène Pereira, Rasha Salti, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Rory Tsapayi and Siddhartha Mitter – will deliver the event, following his plans.
There are several works that show or describe him, including Derrick Adams’ painting opposite the entrance to the Arsenale, another main site of the event.
Asked about the jury’s decision to resign because of Israel’s involvement with Russia, Mitter said the group “100% respects the jury” but cannot be judged on whether they think it is right or wrong.
“It is not a show that is a commentary on world events or politics,” said Salti, who has family in Beirut. “But I think our values, where we came from, what the conflicts of the world have done to us, are very visible and are reflected in the exhibition.”
“Of course there is an upping of the ante because the political correctness has got a lot of money,” he added. “Perhaps this has made everyone more sensitive.”
On the first day of the show, the Austrian arena was full of art, and a large crowd gathered to see the artist. Florentina Holzinger in his Seaworld Venice project. For five minutes, once an hour, he would hang the bell from the glass above the courtyard of the house and swing it back and forth, using his body to ring.
Inside were several chambers filled with water. One involved a jet ski being driven at high speeds, while the artist was submerged in a water tank that appeared to be filled with purified urine. Another tank had an exploding toilet.
Next to the Austrian pavilion was another of the most famous parts of the biennale so far: a seabird that made a nest on the ground. The workers surrounded the bird with a wooden fence, which some people thought was just a painting.
