The selection process for the Czech Republic's participation in this year's Venice Biennale hit the headlines after Milan Knizak, the director of the country's National Gallery, refused to accept the decision of the selection committee to run with installation artist Dominik Lang. As director of the country's leading gallery, Knizak has the right of veto over the Biennale entry. However, the minister of culture, Jiri Besser, stepped in to overrule Knizak, declaring that the selection committee's choice would stand.
After rejecting the jury's decision, Knizak (who is also an artist and is associated with the Fluxus movement) had proposed an alternative project by three young Czech artists for the Czech pavilion. The artists, however, rejected his offer and called for Lang to be reinstated as the country's official selection.
Image: Dominik Lang's Walking Blackboard, 2006
