News Labor unions, grassroots groups, and artists plan to withhold their labor on Friday, May 8, with a call to "shut down the genocide pavilion."

A protest in the open area outside the Israeli and US pavilions at the Venice Biennale on April 17, 2024 (photo Avedis Hadjian/ Hyperallergic )

As the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale opens for previews this week, cultural workers are planning a 24-hour strike this Friday, May 8, opposing Israel's inclusion in the event amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

In a statement shared with Hyperallergic , the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) described the action as “the first ever organized strike to occur within the Biennale.” Among the groups that will observe the strike are Biennaleocene, a coalition of local cultural workers formed in 2023 to mobilize against exploitation in Venice's arts sector; the independent art space Sale Docks; cultural heritage association Mi Riconosci; and the grassroots movement Vogliamo Tutt’altro.…