The jury for the Venice Biennale has resigned just days before the prestigious international art exhibition is scheduled to begin, throwing the event into uncertainty.

The resignation comes amid growing tensions surrounding Russia's return to the exhibition for the first time since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Venice Biennale, one of the world's most important contemporary art exhibitions, typically features national pavilions from countries around the globe. Russia's participation has become a contentious issue within the international art community since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

The timing of the jury's departure creates significant logistical challenges for organizers, who must now address both the immediate operational concerns and the broader diplomatic tensions that have emerged around the event.

The Venice Biennale alternates between art and architecture exhibitions in odd and even years respectively. The current edition represents a major showcase for contemporary art from participating nations and typically draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.