81 artists have withdrawn their work from consideration for the ‘Visitor Lion’ prizes at the 61st Venice Biennale, which opens to the public today.
Artists in the central exhibition, as well as artists, curators and exhibition staff representing 16 national pavilions – from France and Spain to Cyprus and Ecuador – have withdrawn ‘in solidarity with the resignation of the jury selected by Koyo Kouoh’, they said in a statement published on e-flux.
The international jury, which traditionally selects a Golden and Silver Lion, one each for the best National Pavilion and best artist in the Central Pavilion, collectively resigned on 30 April. The Biennale organisers subsequently announced a new ‘Visitor Lion’ award system, subject to a public vote of ‘ticket holders who have visited both exhibition venues during the opening period’.
The 61st edition, titled In Minor Keys and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, has been met with protests throughout its preview week over the inclusion of Russia and Israel.
The full list of withdrawing artists in the Central Pavilion includes:
Pio Abad
Fabric Aragno
arms ache avid aeon
Sammy Baloji
Éric Baudelaire
Sabian Baumann
Nancy Brooks Brody Estate
BuBu de la madeleine
Carolina Caycedo
Annalee Davis
Bonnie Devine
Nolan Oswald Dennis
rana elnemr
Joy Episalla
Rachel Fallon
Sofía Gallisá Muriente
Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige
Sohrab Hura
Mohammed Joha
fierce pussy
Alfredo Jaar
Michael Joo
Nina Katchadourian
Guadalupe Maravilla
Natalia Lassalle Morillo
Florence Lazar
Zoe Leonard
Alice Maher
Sally Mizrachi
Avi Mograbi & Avital Barak
Tuan Andrew Nguyen
Otobong Nkanga
Hagar Ophir
Uriel Orlow
Alan Phelan
Walid Raad
Mohammed Z. Rahman
Tabita Rezaire
Guadalupe Rosales
Yo-E Ryou
Rose Salane
Carrie Schneider
Hala Schoukair
Berni Searle
Yoshiko Shimada
Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser
Cauleen Smith
Vera Tamari
Jo-ey Tang
Carrie Yamaoka
Raed Yassin
Thania Petersen
The artists, curators and staff withdrawing from consideration for national pavilions includes:
Belgium
Miet Warlop, Artist; Caroline Dumalin, Curator & Team
Luxembourg
Aline Bouvy & Stilbé Schroeder
France
Yto Barrada
Slovenia
Nonument Group (Neja Tomšič, Martin Bricelj Baraga, Nika Grabar, Miloš Kosec); Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Curator
Latvia
MAREUNROL’S, Bruno Birmanis & Team
Lithuania
Egle Budvytyte, Artist; Louise O’Kelly, Curator
Switzerland
Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, Yul Tomatala, Nina Wakeford
Spain
Oriol Vilanova
The Netherlands
Dries Verhoeven, Artist; Rieke Vos, Curator
Poland
Bogna Burska & Daniel Kotowski, Artists; Ewa Chomicka & Jolanta Woszczenko, Curators
Ecuador
Boloh Miranda, Tatiana Lopez, Sani Montahuano, Mukutsawa Montahuano, Enoc Merino, Tawna Collective
Ireland
Isabel Nolan, Artist; Georgina Jackson, Curator; Cian O’Brien, Producer
Kosovo
Brilant Milazimi
Finland
Juha Huuskonen, Commissioner
Czech Republic and Slovakia
Jakub Jansa, Selmeci Kocka Jusko, Artists; Peter Sit, Curator
Cyprus
Marina Xenofontos
