Juliet Art reports 18 pavilions strike Venice

Juliet Art Magazine reported on May 22 that around 18 national pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale staged strikes or partial closures during this year’s opening period. The magazine said participants framed the action as a protest against what they called the normalization of Israel’s presence at the exhibition and against labor conditions surrounding the event. The report placed the action inside a wider dispute that has shadowed the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys.” La Biennale di Venezia says the 2026 edition includes 100 national participations and 31 collateral events. ### How many pavilions were involved, and where does that number come from? Juliet Art Magazine said “around 18 pavilions” proclaimed strikes and partial closures. The article, by Emanuela Zanon and published May 22, described the action as part of the unrest that accompanied the Biennale’s opening. (juliet-artmagazine.com) The Art Newspaper reported earlier, on May 8, that “around 18 pavilions” were taking part in full or partial closures, including Austria, Lebanon, Slovenia and Egypt, and said 237 curators, artists and art workers were involved. That separate report broadly matches Juliet Art’s count and places the main day of action on May 8. (juliet-artmagazine.com) ### What were the protesters saying they were protesting? The Art Not Genocide Alliance, as quoted by The Art Newspaper, said the strike “rejects both the normalisation of Israel’s presence in cultural spaces and the economies of genocide in culture, while also denouncing the ecosystem of precarious labour that grows around the Biennale event.” Juliet Art used nearly the same formulation in its May 22 account. (theartnewspaper.com) La Biennale di Venezia, in a March 4 statement on national participations, said it “rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.” The organizer said the Biennale “continues to be a place of dialogue, openness, and artistic freedom,” while listing 100 national participations for the 2026 exhibition. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Why was Israel’s participation such a flashpoint this year? The Art Newspaper reported on March 17 that nearly 200 Biennale participants had signed a letter demanding the cancellation of Israel’s pavilion. That report said Israel, instead of using its permanent Giardini site, would exhibit in the Arsenale because its usual pavilion remained closed for renovation. (labiennale.org) Juliet Art said the disputes before the opening were tied not only to Israel but also to Russia and to broader arguments over how national pavilions enter the Biennale. La Biennale’s own rules say countries recognized by Italy may participate independently, either by simple notification if they own a Giardini pavilion or by submitting a government letter if they do not. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Which pavilion did Juliet Art single out? Juliet Art highlighted Austria’s “Seaworld Venice” among the pavilions it found notable. La Biennale’s official Austria page identifies “Seaworld Venice” as the Austrian pavilion project by Florentina Holzinger, curated by Nora-Swantje Almes, at the Giardini. (juliet-artmagazine.com) La Biennale’s Austria listing also carried a note dated May 19 saying the pavilion would be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays “over the next few weeks” because of maintenance work. The official page does not link that closure note to the strike action. ### Was this a one-day action or part of a longer disruption? The Art Newspaper’s May 8 report described a coordinated strike day with temporary and partial closures across multiple pavilions. (juliet-artmagazine.com) Juliet Art’s May 22 piece looked back on those actions as part of the Biennale’s early controversies rather than announcing a new shutdown on May 22. (labiennale.org) The 61st International Art Exhibition runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, according to La Biennale di Venezia. Austria’s official pavilion page lists “Seaworld Venice” on view through November 22, and La Biennale’s national participations page remains the central public listing for the 100 country presentations in this year’s exhibition. (labiennale.org) (theartnewspaper.com)