The who’s who of the international art world meet every two years at the Venice Biennale to hobnob, clink champagne glasses and gawk at contemporary art showcased in national pavilions along the Giardini della Biennale. The exhibition should be a celebration of artistic merit, with the international jury awarding the coveted Golden Lion to the best national pavilion and artist. This year, however, the 61st Venice Biennale, scheduled to open on May 9, has already decided that the art will take a back seat to identity politics.

Israel is represented by sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, and his early exclusion from the chance of winning a prize has caused an uproar

Israel is represented by sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, and his early exclusion from the chance of winning a prize has caused an uproar

The exhibition’s theme, ‘In Minor Keys,’ was selected by chief curator Koyo Kouoh. Before dying last year from cancer, she described the curatorial objective as: ‘In refusing the spectacle of horror, the time has come to listen to the minor keys, to tune in sotto voce to the whispers, to the lower frequencies; to find the oasis, the islands, where the dignity of all living beings is safeguarded.’

But on April 23, the Biennale’s five-member International Jury announced that the dignity of some ‘living beings’ won’t, after all, be safeguarded. They released a statement declaring that national pavilions and artists representing countries ‘whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International........

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