Creative New Zealand (CNZ) has confirmed that New Zealand will not have a national pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, Ocula reports. It will be the country’s first absence from the international exhibition since 2001.
A 2022 review of New Zealand’s participation in Venice described their operation as ‘unsustainable’ and their funds ‘inadequate’, outlining that around NZ$1.2 million (approximately £575,000) is required for the exhibition’s functioning, of which CNZ contributes NZ$800,000. Following the report’s findings, CNZ indicated it would need to partner with ‘another organisation or a consortium’ to support the national participation in the future. CNZ followed by confirming their intention to stage a national pavilion at the Biennale’s forthcoming 2026, 2028 and 2030 editions.
New Zealand are not the first nation to pull out of the biennial, with Scotland announcing in March that they will not be participating, also citing financial difficulties funding the pavilion.
