Algeria
Algeria won't be celebrating its first participation in the Venice Biennale this year. With artist Hellal Zoubir in charge of its curation, the Algerian Ministry of Culture announced on March 26 that the country would be withdrawing "due to the closeness of the date of this cultural meeting and preparation imperatives". The decision, however, is mainly linked to the controversy surrounding the less-than-transparent selection process of the artists, and the presence of the curator's daughter, Amina Zoubir, amongst the five selected (also including Rachida Azdaou, Hamza Boubous, Mourad Krinah and Oussama Tabti). The feeling was that this would exacerbate a sentiment of the "old regime", even though Amina Zoubir took part in the last Dakar Biennial and had previously attracted attention in Venice. More information available via The Art Newspaper.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan made a similar decision, after potentially not paying its staff... The project, commissioned by the National Museum of Kazakhstan and its contemporary art director Rosa Abenova, has been cancelled. A press release published on Facebook was the first the curators heard of the decision that their services were no longer required, apparently due to budgetary issues. Read further here.
Astana — Kazakhstan
