{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-js","path":"/iran-states-intention-to-participate-in-2026-venice-biennale/","result":{"data":{"wordpressPost":{"id":120561,"slug":"iran-states-intention-to-participate-in-2026-venice-biennale","title":"Iran states intention to participate in 2026 Venice Biennale","excerpt":"The information follows an earlier statement from the Biennale announcing that the nation would not participate ","content":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-1230x820.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-115075\" srcset=\"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-1230x820.jpg 1230w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1230px) 100vw, 1230px\" /><figcaption>Central Pavilion, Giardini, Venice, 2022. Photo: Roberto Marossi; courtesy La Biennale di Venezia</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to reporting by <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/iran-venice-biennale-withdrawal-report-1234785280/\" target=\"_blank\">ArtNews</a></em>, Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, the general director of visual arts at the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, told the <em>Iranian Students’ News Agency</em> (ISNA) on Tuesday that Iran still plans to participate in the <a href=\"https://artreview.com/category/venice-biennale-2026/\">61st Venice Biennale</a>. The information follows a <a href=\"https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/islamic-republic-iran-will-not-participate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4 May</a> statement from the Biennale announcing that the nation would not participate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking to <em><a href=\"https://www.isna.ir/news/1405022212812/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%81-%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AB-%D8%B4%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B2-%D9%86%D8%B1%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%85\">ISNA</a></em>, Tehrani, who is listed as the pavilion’s commissioner, said that they had been in discussions with Biennale organisers about their participation and were expecting to hear back shortly. He further states that they had experienced difficulties related to costs, lack of infrastructure and uncertainty regarding the ongoing war with Israel and the US and its potential impact on diplomatic relationships with Italy. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Tehrani, an initial suggestion to reduce Iran’s presence to two or three months rather than the full seven months of the exhibition was rejected by the Biennale.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read next </strong><a href=\"https://artreview.com/there-has-never-been-an-apolitical-venice-biennale/\">There Has Never Been an Apolitical Venice Biennale </a></p>\n","path":"/iran-states-intention-to-participate-in-2026-venice-biennale/","format":"standard","date":"13 May 2026","rawDate":"2026-05-13T16:50:04.000Z","branch":{"name":"artreview.com"},"author":{"name":"ArtReview","path":"/author/artreview/"},"category":{"name":"News","path":"/category/news/"},"featured_media":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1.jpg","caption":"Central Pavilion, Giardini, Venice, 2022. Photo: Roberto Marossi; courtesy La Biennale di Venezia","alt_text":"","media_details":{"width":2048,"height":1365,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-300x200.jpg","width":300,"height":200},"medium":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-600x400.jpg","width":600,"height":400},"large":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-1230x820.jpg","width":1230,"height":820},"wordpress_1536x1536":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heroPhoto-by-Roberto-Marossi_RM_Overview_PadCentrale_0_51_V6A4084_Courtesy-of-La-Biennale-di-Venezia-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg","width":1536,"height":1024},"wordpress_2048x2048":null}}},"acf":{"article_artist":null,"article_video":null,"article_audio":null,"article_collaboration":"","article_custom_html_snippet":"","article_featured_title":"","article_featured_description":"","article_highlight":false,"article_custom_link_url":"","hero_image":null,"seo_title":"News: Iran still intends to participate in 2026 Venice Biennale","seo_description":"According to reporting by ArtNews, Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, the general director of visual arts at the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, said that Iran still plans to participate in the Venice Biennale. The information follows an earlier statement from the Biennale announcing that the nation would not participate.","article_related_articles":[{"id":120429,"title":"Trevor Paglen to cocurate Swiss edition of Art Basel’s digital art initiative","path":"/trevor-paglen-to-cocurate-swiss-edition-of-art-basels-digital-art-initiative/","author":{"name":"ArtReview","path":"/author/artreview/"},"category":{"name":"News","path":"/category/news/"},"featured_media":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ArtBasel_Tompkins_0131_web-res.png","caption":"","alt_text":"Eli Scheinman and Trevor Paglen sitting together and laughing in a living room","media_details":{"width":2000,"height":1333,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ArtBasel_Tompkins_0131_web-res-300x200.png","width":300,"height":200},"medium":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ArtBasel_Tompkins_0131_web-res-600x400.png","width":600,"height":400},"large":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ArtBasel_Tompkins_0131_web-res-1230x820.png","width":1230,"height":820},"wordpress_1536x1536":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ArtBasel_Tompkins_0131_web-res-1536x1024.png","width":1536,"height":1024},"wordpress_2048x2048":null}}},"acf":{"article_collaboration":""}},{"id":120416,"title":"Somali artists and culture workers express concern over Somalia Pavilion in Venice","path":"/somali-artists-and-culture-workers-express-concern-over-somalia-pavilion-in-venice/","author":{"name":"ArtReview","path":"/author/artreview/"},"category":{"name":"News","path":"/category/news/"},"featured_media":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Overview-Arsenale_Photo-by-Andrea-Avezzù-Courtesy-La-Biennale-di-Venez...-scaled.jpg","caption":"Venice Arsenale. 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