Biennale, rules announced for Visitor's Lion. But dozens of artists withdraw

With the opening of the Venice Biennale 2026 to the public, voting for the Visitor Lions of the 61st International Art Exhibition, which will replace the traditional Golden Lions due to the resignation of the jury before the opening, also officially kicks off. But on the very opening day of the popular consultation, dozens of artists participating in the international exhibition In Minor Keys and several National Pavilions announced their withdrawal from the competition, in solidarity with the jury selected by Artistic Director Koyo Kouoh, a jury she recalled resigned. The decision was made public through a statement released on May 9, 2026 on the e-flux platform and signed by a long list of artists featured in both the central exhibition and the national participations. In the text, the signatories declare that they are withdrawing from consideration for the Visitors’ Lions specifically in support of the jury.

The stance comes in the same hours that the Venice Biennale officially announced the start of dedicated visitor voting. The new recognition includes two separate awards: one for an artist participating in the international exhibition In Minor Keys and one reserved for a National Participation in the 61st Exhibition.

The voting system is reserved for visitors who have actually visited both main venues of the event, the Giardini and the Arsenale. It is verified through the ticket office’s tracking system: only after registering access to both venues, and at least twenty-four hours after the second visit, do ticket holders receive the link to participate in the voting via email.

The Biennale has specified that voting is done anonymously and that each visitor can express only one preference per category, in a single session. Voting will remain open for the duration of the event, until November 22, 2026, while the final results will be announced at the end of the exhibition. For the award dedicated to participating artists, collectives are considered as individual participants, following the official list of the In Minor Keys exhibition. For the Visitors’ Lion awarded to National Participations, on the other hand, all pavilions officially present at the 61st Exhibition compete.

It was precisely against this new system of recognition, however, that the protest of artists and national representatives developed. The declaration of withdrawal involves some of the most prominent names in the international contemporary art scene, starting with Laurie Anderson, Alfredo Jaar, Walid Raad, Zoe Leonard, and Otobong Nkanga. Signatories also include artists and collectives from numerous geographical and cultural backgrounds: Pio Abad, Fabric Aragno, arms ache avid aeon, Sammy Baloji, Éric Baudelaire, Sabian Baumann, Nancy Brooks Brody Estate, BuBu de la madeleine, Carolina Caycedo, Annalee Davis, Bonnie Devine, Nolan Oswald Dennis, rana elnemr, Joy Episalla, Rachel Fallon, Sofía Gallisá Muriente, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Sohrab Hura, Mohammed Joha, fierce pussy, Alfredo Jaar, Michael Joo, Nina Katchadourian, Guadalupe Maravilla, Natalia Lassalle Morillo, Florence Lazar, Zoe Leonard, Alice Maher, Sally Mizrachi, Avi Mograbi & Avital Barak, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Otobong Nkanga, Hagar Ophir, Uriel Orlow, Alan Phelan, Walid Raad, Mohammed Z. Rahman, Tabita Rezaire, Guadalupe Rosales, Yo-E Ryou, Rose Salane, Carrie Schneider, Hala Schoukair, Berni Searle, Yoshiko Shimada, Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser, Cauleen Smith, Vera Tamari, Jo-ey Tang, Carrie Yamaoka, Raed Yassin, Thania Petersen, Laurie Anderson.

Alongside artists from the international exhibition, artists and curators from some national pavilions also joined the retreat: Belgium (artist Miet Warlop and curator Caroline Dumalin), France (artist Yto Barrada), Luxembourg (artist Aline Bouvy and curator Stilbé Schroeder), Slovenia (the Nonument Group collective and curator Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez), Latvia (the artists, namely MAREUNROL’S, Bruno Birmanis and the whole team), Lithuania (theartist Egle Budvytyte and curator Louise O’Kelly), Switzerland (artists Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, Yul Tomatala, Nina Wakeford), Spain (artist Oriol Vilanova), the Netherlands (artist Dries Verhoeven and curator Rieke Vos), Poland, Ecuador, Finland, Ireland, Kosovo, Albania, Cyprus, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

The statement does not go into detail about the reasons that led to the resignation of the jury selected by Koyo Kouoh, but the signatories’ collective gesture takes on a strong symbolic and political value within the Venetian event. The artists’ protest thus opens a new front for discussion around the relationship between public participation, cultural institutions and artistic autonomy. However, despite the withdrawal of many participants, voting for the Visitors’ Lions remains active and will continue until the Biennale closes on November 22, 2026. It remains to be understood, however, what concrete impact yet another protest will have on the new award and its reception by the international public that will visit Giardini and Arsenale in the coming weeks.

Biennale, rules announced for Visitor's Lion. But dozens of artists withdraw

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