Statement of Withdrawal from "Visitor Lion" Awards

As of May 9, 2026, we, the undersigned artists from “In Minor Keys,” selected by Koyo Kouoh, Artistic Director of the 61st edition of La Biennale di Venezia, and from National Pavilions withdraw from consideration for the “Visitor Lion” awards. We do so in solidarity with the resignation of the jury selected by Koyo Kouoh.

Pio Abad

Fabric Aragno

arms ache avid aeon

Sammy Baloji

Éric Baudelaire

Sabian Baumann

Nancy Brooks Brody Estate

BuBu de la madeleine

Carolina Caycedo

Annalee Davis

Bonnie Devine

Nolan Oswald Dennis

rana elnemr

Joy Episalla

Rachel Fallon

Sofía Gallisá Muriente

Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige

Sohrab Hura

Mohammed Joha

fierce pussy

Alfredo Jaar

Michael Joo

Nina Katchadourian

Guadalupe Maravilla

Natalia Lassalle Morillo

Florence Lazar

Zoe Leonard

Alice Maher

Sally Mizrachi

Avi Mograbi & Avital Barak

Tuan Andrew Nguyen

Otobong Nkanga

Hagar Ophir

Uriel Orlow

Alan Phelan

Walid Raad

Mohammed Z. Rahman

Tabita Rezaire

Guadalupe Rosales

Yo-E Ryou

Rose Salane

Carrie Schneider

Hala Schoukair

Berni Searle

Yoshiko Shimada

Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser

Cauleen Smith

Vera Tamari

Jo-ey Tang

Carrie Yamaoka

Raed Yassin

Thania Petersen

Laurie Anderson

Leonard Pongo

Luxembourg
Aline Bouvy & Stilbé Schroeder

France
Yto Barrada

Slovenia
Nonument Group (Neja Tomšič, Martin Bricelj Baraga, Nika Grabar, Miloš Kosec); Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Curator

Latvia
MAREUNROL’S, Bruno Birmanis & Team

Lithuania
Egle Budvytyte, Artist; Louise O’Kelly, Curator

Switzerland
Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, Yul Tomatala, Nina Wakeford

Spain
Oriol Vilanova

The Netherlands
Dries Verhoeven, Artist; Rieke Vos, Curator

Poland
Bogna Burska & Daniel Kotowski, Artists; Ewa Chomicka & Jolanta Woszczenko, Curators

Ecuador
Boloh Miranda, Tatiana Lopez, Sani Montahuano, Mukutsawa Montahuano, Enoc Merino, Tawna Collective

Ireland
Isabel Nolan, Artist; Georgina Jackson, Curator; Cian O’Brien, Producer

Kosovo
Brilant Milazimi

Finland
Juha Huuskonen, Commissioner

Czech Republic and Slovakia
Jakub Jansa, Selmeci Kocka Jusko, Artists; Peter Sit, Curator

Cyprus
Marina Xenofontos

Albania
Genti Korini

United Arab Emirates
Farah Al Qasimi