Venice Biennale: the jury resigned, Russia returned and New Zealand is back with a pavilion

The Venice Biennale jury resigned two weeks ago after announcing they wouldn't award prizes to countries whose governments have been charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC. The biennale has since moved to an anonymous public vote, with winners to be announced in November instead of this month. Russia is participating for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, prompting protests from Pussy Riot and a threat from the European Commission to pull €2 million in funding. Perlina unpicks the politics with art critic and curator Deena Jezdic, who has been in Venice, and with Sarah Hudson of the Mataaho Collective, who won the Golden Lion in 2024 and is watching events unfold from Aotearoa.