An international group of artists, curators, writers and cultural workers intensified its campaign against the inclusion of the Israeli pavilion as the 61st International Art Exhibition prepares to run from May 9 through November in Venice, Italy.
“On 17 March 2026, ANGA (Art Not Genocide Alliance) delivered a letter to the Venice Biennale demanding the immediate exclusion of the Israeli Pavilion. That letter now has 236 signatories. This includes 18 entire national pavilion teams, 113 artists, 38 curators, 85 art workers, and continues to grow,” ANGA said in a statement on Tuesday.
The group said the Biennale has not responded and recalled that it was not the first time organisers had ignored such appeals.
“In 2024, ANGA’s open letter calling for the removal of the Israeli Pavilion gathered over 24,000 signatures. Those demands were ignored. The Biennale continues to demonstrate that it considers the concerns of the artists, curators and workers, who make it possible, beneath its notice,” the statement added.
ANGA said pressure from the campaign contributed to the closure of the Israeli pavilion in 2024 at the historic Giardini site, but noted that the Biennale later provided Israel with an alternative venue at the Arsenale di Venezia — a complex of former shipyards and armouries — for 2026.
“This is not a neutral administrative decision, this is active institutional support for a state committing genocide,” the group said.
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