Israel’s Participation in 2026 Venice Biennale Uncertain
By ANNETTE MEIER
View of Israel’s shuttered national pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, 2024. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
According to a recent report by Tel Aviv-based newspaper Haaretz, Israel might forgo the 2026 Venice Biennale due to budgetary issues that are hampering the renovation of its pavilion. If Israel does not partake in the forthcoming event, its national pavilion will have remained vacant for four consecutive years.
The Israeli pavilion is jointly managed by the Foreign Ministry and the Culture Ministry, whereby the latter oversees the exhibition content and the process of selecting representatives. As detailed in the Haaretz article, the pavilion’s refurbishment was initially hindered by the lack of a state budget and a concrete schedule for its completion. While the budget has since been passed, the Culture Ministry still needs to publish a call for curators and artists—and even if the tender is issued soon, it remains unclear whether the artistic team will have enough time to prepare for the Venice Biennale, which opens on May 9, 2026.
On the opening day of last year’s Venice Biennale, Israel shuttered its pavilion in protest of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Israeli national artist Ruth Patir and co-curators Mira Lapidot and Tamar Margalit advocated for the pavilion’s temporary closure, announcing that it will only reopen when a ceasefire and hostage release agreement have been reached. The move came after thousands of pro-Palestine artists, curators, writers, and cultural workers signed an open letter in February 2024, urging the Venice Biennale to ban Israel from participating in its 60th edition.
Although the revamping project has yet to begin, the Foreign Ministry has allegedly approved the budget and timetable, and is “working to ensure an Israeli presentation” at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
Annette Meier is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.
