More than 12,000 prominent artists, curators, writers, and cultural figures have signed an open letter demanding Israel’s exclusion from the Venice Art Biennale this year as a protest against its continued “atrocities” in Gaza.
Israel is slated to sponsor one of the national pavilions at the 60th edition of the Art Biennale, scheduled to take place from April 20 to Nov. 24 in Venice.
The initiative was spearheaded by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), a newly established activist group. Those supporting the petition argue that featuring the Israeli Pavilion would amount to “endorsing art representing a state involved in ongoing atrocities” in Gaza.
As of the latest update on Tuesday, ANGA has gathered over 12,000 signatures for the letter, with the number continuing to grow. Many of the signatories are past or present participants in the Biennale.
The Venice Biennale is a renowned international cultural exhibition held annually in Venice, Italy, and has been a tradition since its inception in 1895.