Belu-Simion Fainaru, the artist representing Israel at the forthcoming Venice Biennale, responded at length this weekend to continued calls for his nation’s ejection from the show.
“As an artist, I do not support cultural boycotts,” Fainaru wrote in an extended statement sent to ARTnews. “I believe in dialogue and exchange, especially in challenging times. Art thrives on openness, and any narrowing of that space diminishes it. Embracing diverse perspectives enriches the discourse around art and society, and for this reason my commitment to dialogue has deepened in recent years.”
Fainaru’s Israeli Pavilion has been protested by groups such as the Art Not Genocide Alliance, which organized an open letter that called Israel a “genocidal state” and demanded its exclusion from the Biennale.
“As we reach an appalling anniversary—two and a half years of open genocide against Palestine—and 77 years after the Nakba, the Israeli state once again seeks the legitimation of the Biennale to masquerade as a creator instead of a destroyer of life and culture,” the letter reads.
The letter was signed by dozens of artists in the main exhibition, curated by Koyo Kouoh, as well as two of the curatorial advisers appointed by Kouoh prior to her death last year. Dozens of national representatives, for nations ranging from Belgium to the United Arab Emirates, also signed the ANGA letter, which was followed by a second one focused on Israel in addition to the United States and Russia. The latter nation’s participation has generated a large outcry, with multiple open letters and a threat by the European Union to defund the Biennale.
The Biennale has claimed it cannot ask any nation recognized in Italy to exit the show because it “rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.” In a statement from March, the Biennale said this was because the show is “a place of dialogue, openness, and artistic freedom.” (Palestine has never had a national pavilion at the Biennale because it is not recognized as a country within Italy. This year’s collateral exhibitions—Biennale-sanctioned shows held outside the official exhibition—include one about Gaza that is organized by the Palestine Museum US.)
Fainaru, who told ARTnews that he submitted his statement to Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, seemed at times to echo the Biennale’s words in his own statement.
“I perceive art as a universal language through which individuality takes shape and human connection becomes possible,” Fainaru wrote. “Throughout history, art has reflected the diversity of our world, yet its true value lies in its openness: art belongs to everyone, transcending backgrounds, beliefs, and borders.”
Later in his statement, Fainaru wrote, “I value the freedom of expression and welcome a plurality of voices and perspectives. I am here to share my work and to remain open to dialogue. The Israeli Pavilion welcomes all who come in a genuine spirit of exchange. I hope visitors will bring their own experiences and perspectives, allowing the work to become a space for thoughtful engagement.”
Moreover, he described his exhibition, an installation called Rose of Nothingness that will feature a reflective pool filled with darkened liquid, as a reminder that “life, like art, is not created by accumulation or excess, but by listening to what is absent, to what is still becoming.”
The last artist to represent Israel at the Biennale was Ruth Patir, who closed her 2024 pavilion to the public on opening day. She said it would only reopen upon the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and a deal to free the hostages taken by Hamas, neither of which happened during the Biennale’s run.
Credit: artnews
