**Historic Strike for Palestine and Workers’ Rights Disrupts Venice Biennale**<\/p>\n
VENICE \u2013 Artists and cultural workers marked a momentous occasion at the Venice Biennale today by launching a significant strike during the international exhibition’s pre-opening. In its 131-year history, this is the first cultural strike the biennale has witnessed.<\/p>\n
The action saw at least 27 out of 100 national pavilions partially or fully closed as of May 8. Artists also modified their works in the main exhibition, *In Minor Keys*, as part of a 24-hour strike supporting Palestine and advocating for workers’ rights.<\/p>\n
Among the affected pavilions were Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Catalonia, Cyprus, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey.<\/p>\n
The strike is a culmination of extensive organization by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), working alongside local groups like Sale Docks, Mi Riconosci?, and Biennalocene, with support from at least three Italian unions for striking members.<\/p>\n
Strikers issued a joint statement: “No artist or cultural worker should be asked to share a platform with a state perpetrating genocide,” also emphasizing the protest against poor labor conditions in the cultural sector.<\/p>\n
Visitors to the Giardini were met with closed pavilions and messages such as, “We stand with Palestine because we know that the destruction of Palestine is the destruction of the world.”<\/p>\n
Significantly, the Belgian pavilion placed white plaques reading “STOP” at its entrance, while the Japanese Pavilion’s statement declared, “No artwashing. No genocide pavilion,” referring to the Israeli exhibit.<\/p>\n
The British Pavilion also remained closed, attributing the action to “the Italian cultural workers’ strike.”<\/p>\n
In the Arsenale, artist Tabita Rezaire incorporated Palestinian flags into her installation *Omo Elu and Mother Trinity* (2024), while Alfredo Jaar displayed a poster declaring “Palestine is the future of the world.”<\/p>\n
This strike comes after a peaceful protest involving hundreds outside the Israeli pavilion on May 6. ANGA, criticizing the Biennale and Italian government for supporting Netanyahu\u2019s regime, questioned the red carpet treatment for a state accused of genocide, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n
*Editor\u2019s note: This is an evolving story. Stay tuned for further updates.*<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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