Several national pavilions at the Venice Biennale temporarily closed or scaled back their exhibitions on Friday as artists, curators and cultural workers joined a strike over Israel’s participation in the event.
The action, organised by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga), took place on the final day of the Biennale’s preview week and followed a protest on Wednesday outside Israel’s temporary exhibition space at the Arsenale. The 61st International Art Exhibition opens to the public on Saturday and runs until November 22.
Several national pavilions, including the UK, the Netherlands, South Korea, Austria, Ecuador and Spain, were among those either fully or partially closed, with several others, such as Lebanon, including signage supporting the strike. Others dimmed lights, suspended sound works or replaced elements of their displays with material relating to Palestine.
The strike was part of a wider campaign calling for Israel to be excluded from the Biennale. Anga says its 2026 open letter has been signed by 236 artists, curators and art workers involved in this year’s exhibition, including participants from national pavilions, collateral events and the Biennale’s central exhibition, In Minor Keys.
The group says Israel’s presence at one of the world’s most important art events normalises the country’s actions in Gaza and allows culture to be used as a form of political cover. It has also linked the strike to labour conditions around the Biennale, saying the event depends on precarious cultural work.
“It was overwhelming and heartening seeing such a diverse group join together and to hear so many different languages coming together in solidarity,” Palestinian-Canadian artist Jude Abu Zaineh, who attended the protest, tells The National.
The demonstration came after hundreds of protesters gathered outside Israel’s exhibition on Wednesday, waving Palestinian flags and banners that accused the pavilion of “artwashing”. The protest briefly blocked access to the space, which is hosting Rose of Nothingness by the Romania-born Israeli artist Belu-Simion Fainaru.
Israel is taking part in the Arsenale this year while its permanent pavilion in the Giardini is under renovation. Fainaru has previously said he opposes cultural boycotts and believes art can create spaces for dialogue and shared language during periods of political division.
Venice Biennale organisers have said the protests and strike action do not involve the institution’s staff or organisation. In a statement, it said its work was being carried out in accordance with the law and that it remained committed to the orderly running of the event, “in a spirit of respect for freedom of expression and pluralism of opinion”.
The strike adds to an unusually turbulent opening for the Biennale, which has already been reshaped by political disputes. Last month, the international jury resigned after saying it would not consider artists representing countries whose leaders face international charges. The decision was widely understood to affect Israel and Russia.
The Biennale later scrapped its traditional Golden Lion awards for this edition and replaced them with two visitor-voted prizes, to be announced on November 22, the exhibition’s final day.
Russia’s return to the Biennale has also drawn criticism. The country is presenting a programme during preview week, but its pavilion is expected to close to the public when the exhibition formally opens.
