Last week the event jury resigned, with the outcome that the Golden Lions, the festival's top art prizes, will not be doled out in that way.

The public vote, open to all ticket holders, was an attempt at compromise, but Estonia and a further 21 other nations' representatives, plus 80 artists, have withdrawn from that too.

"The Venice Biennale jury resigned, the Golden Lion will not be awarded by a jury this year, and the biennale proposed that the prize be decided by public vote. But, led by several pavilions, an open letter was initiated, which Estonia also joined, stating that we will not be taking part in the public vote either. We respect the jury's decision not to award prizes at all at this biennale, and our pavilion cannot be voted for," Kaarin Kivirähk, deputy commissioner of Estonia's pavilion, told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

The biennale also features a major central exhibition presenting the work of more than 100 artists, though Kivirähk noted this is tinged with sadness. "Unfortunately, this year's chief curator of the main exhibition, Koyo Kouoh, passed away last year, so the exhibition was completed by her curatorial team. Its title is 'In Minor Keys,' which refers to a melancholic mood, but also to peace and the power of art," Kivirähk added.

"The curatorial introduction states that the exhibition resists a cynical worldview and seeks, in some sense, to restore a joy in art. At the same time, it is questionable whether such ideas can survive and stand out in a highly political biennale like this one. In a way, it is itself a political gesture to stand against major bully states that are also participating in the biennale and deliberately trying to draw all the attention to themselves," she continued.

The Venice Biennale will remain open until the end of November.

Commissioner of the Estonian pavilion Maria Arusoo said Estonia and Ukraine decided to remain at the Venice Biennale despite Russia's participation, aiming instead to strengthen and amplify their own voices.

Event organizers defended Russia's inclusion by arguing that art and culture should remain neutral spaces for dialogue.

The involvement of Israel and the U.S. has also sparked controversy.

Estonia's pavilion opened last Saturday with Merike Estna's exhibition "The House of a Leaking Sky," hosted in a former church now functioning as a community center and basketball court.

Estna's installation includes 25,000 glazed floor tiles and a monumental 22-canvas painting that will be created live during the exhibition, highlighting artistic process, change, and "unfinishedness."

The Venice Biennale (la Biennale di Venezia) is an annual cultural event, established in 1895. Its two main components, Art Biennale and Architecture Biennale, alternate each year (hence "biennale"), with the art component now held in even-numbered years. In addition to the main exhibitions, there are four annual cultural programs mainly focusing on music, theater, film, and dance.

The main exhibition area is located in the Castello district of Venice, with around 30 permanent national pavilions like Estonia's constructed and maintained by participating countries.

The pavilions showcase international artistic and cultural contributions from across the world.

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