The Venice Biennale is the most prestigious recurring event in contemporary art, often described as the Olympics of the art world.

The most prestigious prize of the sprawling international exhibition is the Golden Lion for best national participation. The Golden and Silver Lions are awarded by the biennale jury, a rotating panel of international curators and critics.

On April 22, the jury announced Russia and Israel would not be considered for awards. They collectively resigned eight days later – nine days before the opening of this year’s biennale.

This moment marks the unravelling of a long-standing fiction: that art institutions can remain separate from politics.

The jury’s refusal to award prizes

No official explanation was given for the jury’s resignation, but their resignation statement said it was “in acknowledgment” of their intention statement that “this jury will refrain from considering those countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court”.

In practice, this would have affected Russia and Israel.

This exclusion exposes a fundamental inconsistency: if nations can take part, on what basis are they denied prizes?

The bienniale is structured around national representation. Participation confers recognition of a country’s standing within the........

© The Conversation