The artist and curators representing Israel at this year’s Venice Biennale have announced they won’t open the Israeli exhibition until there's a cease-fire in Gaza and an agreement to release hostages. In a statement, the curators said: “The art can wait, but the women, children and people living through hell cannot." Their decision was posted on a sign on the Israeli pavilion on Tuesday. The Biennale contemporary art fair opens on Saturday. There was no immediate comment from the organizers. Israel is among 88 national participants in the 60th Venice Biennale. Already, thousands of artists, curators and critics had signed an open letter calling on the Biennale to exclude Israel from this year’s show.
