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The strike that took place in protest of the inclusion of Israel in the 2026 Venice Biennale meant that several galleries were closed on the last day of the exhibition, some for a few hours while others – including. a well-known work in Austria – was closed all day.
The strike was organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga), which at one point said more than 20 pavilions would close to support their call. Israel to be banned because of his war in Gaza.
On Friday, about a dozen pavilions took part, while others closed, causing chaos at the event, which has 24 hours to open to the public, after a press preview.
The Belgian, Dutch, Austrian, Japanese, Macedonian and Korean arenas were closed for the day. British, Spanish, French, Egyptian, Finnish and Luxembourgish offices closed and then reopened, or opened and were expected to close early – most around 4pm.
Other artists who participated in the main exhibition (called In Minor Keys) contributed to the omission by adding references to Palestine to their work. Others, including Tabita Rezaire, hung Palestinian flags, while several squares had signs outside that read: “Palestine is the future of the world” and: “We have Palestine.”
Those who entered the Giardini on Friday morning and went to the British stadium were met with closed doors and a sign that read: “Due to the neglect of Italian culture today, it is not possible to open the British stadium. The sign said that the stadium would be open on Saturday, but when some workers were available to work on the site, it was reopened.”
The House of Israel was also closed in the morning but this was due to special circumstances.
This year’s edition of the world-renowned art biennale has featured exhibitions. On Wednesday, the Russian arena at the biennale was forced to temporarily close its doors after the Pussy Riot activist group protested against national integration.
Before this, the judges, who choose the winner of the Golden Lion award, he left many jobs after saying he would not consider entering countries whose leaders were granted international arrest warrants, which would have barred them from including Russia and Israel.
The UK government refused to send a minister to the opening of the British stadium, insisting that it was because Russia was allowed in the event.
There have been disruptive protests at the biennale before.
In the 1968 edition, students sat in the stands as they demanded changes to the ceremony, and their actions led to the end of the award. Two years later there were further protests by the Venice Communist Party and the awards were suspended again.
