Chaos marks the Venice Biennale after the jury quits over Israeli and Russian participation

VENICE: Geopolitical tensions spilled over into the Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition, which opens its most chaotic and contested edition in memory Saturday with no Golden Lions after the jury quit in protest of Israel’s and Russia’s participation and loud protests outside their pavilions.
The jury limited its action to countries under investigation by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses, but some say the US should have been included. British artist Anish Kapoor cited “the politics of hate and war and all that that’s been going on now for too long.”
Visitors to the Giardini and Arsenale venues will vote for the best national pavilion, from 100 participants, and best participant in the main curated show, “In Minor Keys,” in Eurovision style. Winners will be announced closing day, Nov. 22.