Venice Biennale, some pavilions (but not only) strike against Israel

There is no peace for this Biennale. Pre-opening day seems to be taking place in a climate marked by mobilizations and heated institutional and labor confrontation. A procession and a workers’ strike, both linked to protests against Israel’s pavilion and demands over working conditions within the event system and its contracts, are also concentrated in the same hours as visitors and industry workers are expected, as Venezia Today reports.

At 4:30 p.m. a procession is scheduled to leave from Via Garibaldi, heading toward the Biennale areas. In parallel, a strike has been called for the entire day, which would involve staff employed in the pavilions and related activities. According to Venezia Today, the adherence to the strike cannot be precisely quantified, partly because of the fragmented and heavily contract-based work structure that characterizes the environment of the Biennale and cultural work in Venice more generally.

An element of comparison also concerns the very nature of the mobilization. The previous October 3, during the general strike for Gaza, there had been sudden closures of some 20 national pavilions, but the context was different, marked by a broad national mobilization. On this occasion, however, there is no similar picture, and participation remains difficult to predict.

At the center of the controversy is the position of the Fondazione La Venice Biennale, which said in a note circulated on the eve of the event that the mobilizations announced do not involve the institution’s staff or organization.

“In relation to the news that has appeared in recent days on social media and in the press regarding mobilizations planned in Venice on the occasion of the pre-opening and opening days of the Biennale Arte 2026,” writes the Fondazione La Venice Biennale. “La Venice Biennale clarifies that these initiatives, as well as any forms of strikes announced, do not involve the institution’s staff or organization. La Venice Biennale also stresses that its activities are carried out in full compliance with current regulations and that its relationships with collaborators and suppliers are governed by contracts that comply with the law. La Venice Biennale confirms its commitment to ensuring the orderly conduct of the Exhibition, respecting freedom of expression and pluralism of opinion.”

As Venezia Today reports again, the communication was interpreted by the unions as not corresponding to the reality of the facts. The retort came from Usb Veneto, one of the unions along with ADL Cobas that called the strike two weeks ago. The union, the newspaper goes on to report, said that the Foundation is among the more than 20 companies and entities formally notified of the proclamation and reiterated that the strike also concerns staff working at the Biennale. The note also underscored the workers’ right to strike and warned against any initiatives deemed retaliatory against those joining the mobilization, announcing the possibility of legal and union action to protect the rights involved.

A further position comes from the platform Mi Riconosci? active since 2015 on the issue of cultural labor conditions. In a statement circulated on social media, the adherence of numerous workers in the sector is recalled, with the participation of unions such as ADL Cobas, USB private labor, and CUB. The text points out that working conditions in the cultural sector are marked by precariousness and critical economic issues, which are considered incompatible with a sustainable system.

The same position statement also links the mobilization to the contestation of the presence of the Israeli pavilion, considered by the promoters to be a politically sensitive element in the current international context. According to reports by Mi Riconosci?, in contrast to Venice Today, some 197 artists, curators, and cultural sector workers have reportedly joined the strike, with a list made public online.

The notice also explains how the strike works: for employees, participation translates into abstaining from work for the entire day, a right guaranteed by the Constitution even in the absence of union membership. For workers with self-employed or atypical contracts, on the other hand, participation takes the form of absence from work, without formal obligations to justify. Overall, the day falls within a delicate phase for the Biennale, marked by an overlap between institutional activities, inaugurations and protests.

Venice Biennale, some pavilions (but not only) strike against Israel

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