Iran Will Not Participate At The 2026 Venice Biennale The Art Newspaper International Art News And Events

Iran has canceled its participation in the 61st Venice Biennale just days before the exhibition opens on May 9, 2026, adding another jolt to an already unsettled edition of the world's most closely watched art event. The organizers said in a brief statement on Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran would not take part in Koyo Kouoh's 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys, but gave no reason for the withdrawal.

Iran had been expected to participate, though it had not yet announced a pavilion or a selected artist. The only publicly listed representative was Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, the director general of visual arts at the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance (MCIG), who was named commissioner.

The cancellation comes as tensions rise in the Middle East and a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran appears increasingly precarious. On Monday, both sides said they had attacked each other's naval fleets, while President Donald Trump warned in an interview with Fox News that Iran would be“blown off the face of the earth” if it targeted US ships.

A person familiar with Iran's art world and the Biennale selection process, who asked not to be named, said the withdrawal was not surprising. The absence of an announced artist, combined with the country's political and economic crisis, made participation difficult, the source said.“Even the logistics of getting any artworks to Venice would have been extremely complicated with the current situation. There are no flights, no postage,” the source added.

Iran's presence at Venice has long been intermittent. The country debuted at the Biennale in 1956 under the Pahlavi regime, but its participation before the 1979 Islamic Revolution was sporadic. After decades away, Iran returned in 2003, and its involvement became more regular from 2015 onward. The same source said that recent appearances have often been low-key and have not reflected the breadth of Iran's independent art scene.

The withdrawal also deepens the sense of disorder surrounding this year's Biennale. Last week, the event's five-person prize jury resigned amid a dispute over the participation of Israel and Russia. In the jury's absence, the two Golden Lion prizes will now be decided by popular vote, with the ceremony moved from May to November. Visitors who have been to both the Giardini and the Arsenale will be eligible to vote.

With one national participation now gone and the prize structure rewritten, the 61st Venice Biennale is opening under unusually unstable conditions - a reminder that in Venice, art and geopolitics are never far apart.

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