Eurovision Is More Radical Than the Biennale

There’s something ironic about the Venice Biennale and Eurovision both happening during the same week. The former, founded in 1895, is often described as the “Olympics of the Art World,” as its curated international exhibition is supplemented by national pavilions, in which countries from around the globe can showcase whatever art and culture they like. The Eurovision Song Contest, on the other hand, is a much different sort of Olympics, and while it’s not quite as old as The Biennale—it began in 1956—its influence looms larger in the cultural mainstream, even outside of Europe. That’s partially because it’s a campy, often over-the-top singing competition, but it’s also because the contest itself extends outside Europe’s borders; 52 different countries have participated at least once, including Morocco, Australia—which, obviously, is located nowhere near Europe—and, most controversially, Israel. In light of the ongoing genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza, not to mention the country’s current attacks on Lebanon and Iran (the latter in tandem with the United States), there have been widespread calls for the country to be banned from Eurovision. These calls are not without precedent; Belarus was disqualified from the competition in 2021 after twice submitting songs mocking anti-government protests—one of the contest’s main rules is that overtly political content is not allowed—and Russia was indefinitely excluded in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. Israel, however, has been allowed to remain, prompting five countries—Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland—to boycott this year’s competition altogether. Echoing that call is the BDS Movement—which has actually been calling for a Eurovision boycott since 2024—and a more recent campaign from No Music for Genocide, which in April published an open letter signed by more than 1000 artists (including Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Sigur Rós, Smerz, Peter Gabriel, Olof Dreijer, Erika de Casier and many, many others) demanding that Israel be excluded. A similar push has erupted around the Biennale, whose current president, a right-wing former journalist named Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, has not only allowed Israel to participate, but has also welcomed back Russia, which did not take part in the 2022 or 2024 editions of the event. Criticism of these decisions has been both intense and extensive, but the loudest protest came from the Biennale’s international jury, which is normally tasked with selecting artists and pavilions for awards. Last month, said jury published a statement that it would refuse to consider any country “whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.” In other words, Israel and Russia wouldn’t be winning anything, and when that prompted pushback—including a threat by Israeli artist Belu-Simion Fainaru to pursue legal action against the Biennale—the entire jury elected to resign. Those resignations have not surprisingly thrown certain aspects of the Biennale into disarray. Organizers hastily announced that in lieu of the traditional Golden Lion and Silver Lion awards selected by the jury, this year’s edition would feature two Visitors’ Lions, to be voted on by attendees. In response, dozens of artists and national pavilions have voluntarily withdrawn themselves from consideration for these newly christened honors. Only a handful of artists, however, have actually withdrawn from the entire event, and only a single country—South Africa, which canceled its own pavilion back in January—has refused to participate. A large protest, organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), did roll through the streets of Venice last Friday, and Pussy Riot led a demonstration against Russia’s participation the day before, but the Biennale, which officially opened on Saturday, has largely proceeded as planned. Anyone with an Instagram account and a few friends in the art world has likely seen the images of opulence and glamor spilling out of Venice in recent days. And while those images are often juxtaposed with sober statements of solidarity and pictures of Palestinian flags, the truth is that remarkably few people were willing to give up the chance at a free “work” trip to Venice and a few days of spritz-fueled hobnobbing with the cultural elite. Granted, the arts realm has always been rife with this sort of hypocrisy, but what’s interesting is the degree to which the experimental music sphere has willingly come along for the ride.

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Eurovision Is More Radical Than the Biennale