One of the world’s biggest and most prestigious art events is facing a storm of controversy, resignations and boycotts over the ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East. The 61st edition of the Venice Biennale, held every two years, begins tomorrow in an atmosphere dominated by “political tension, parties and protest,” said Lanre Bakare at The Guardian. 

Who’s angry and why? 
The entire five-person Biennale jury resigned last week over the decision to allow Russia to participate. Russia did not take part in the past two editions because of the outcry over its war in Ukraine but was allowed to reopen its pavilion this year as a “soft-power opportunity” for the Kremlin, said The New York Times. Defending the decision, the Biennale described itself as an “open institution” that “rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of art.” 

But Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli boycotted the opening in protest, and the European Commission has threatened to terminate or suspend its $2.36 million grant for the exhibition. In letters seen by the Financial Times, the commission warned that Russia’s participation would violate a ban on “providing services” to the Kremlin, as Vladimir Putin’s government owns the pavilion. Faced with the threat of further protests and boycotts, organizers have bowed to pressure and agreed to close the Russian pavilion to the public. 

What about Israel? 
After shuttering its Biennale pavilion in 2024 amid growing condemnation of its Gaza occupation, Israel is back this year. But the jury’s decision not to award artists from countries whose leaders are facing charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court includes Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Putin. 

Their decision “discriminated against me on a racial basis,” said Romanian-born Israeli sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, who’s representing Israel. “I’m an artist and have equal rights, and I can’t be judged by belonging to a country or a race. I should just be judged on the quality and message of my art.”

While “Avatar” remains one of director James Cameron’s most celebrated works, a new lawsuit involving the film series could have widespread implications. The case, which accuses him of using a performer’s image without permission, comes amid concerns about the legal ownership of actors’ faces.

‘Without credit or compensation’
The actor Q’orianka Kilcher filed a lawsuit alleging that in 2005, when she was 14, Cameron “extracted her facial features” from a movie about Pocahontas, then “directed his design team to use it as the foundation for the character of Neytiri” in 2009’s “Avatar,” said a release about the suit, per NBC News. Kilcher’s likeness “went on to appear in the films, on movie posters and on merchandise, without her knowledge or consent.” Kilcher is of Native Peruvian heritage, and the case “exposes how one of Hollywood’s most powerful filmmakers” used her “cultural heritage to create a record-breaking film franchise without credit or compensation to her,” said the lawsuit.

‘Our likeness is no longer safe’
The suit raises broader concerns about who truly owns actors’ likenesses: the actors themselves or the studios they work for. It’s possible that lawyers for Cameron and Disney will be able to “make some kind of fair use argument here, claiming that Neytiri is enough of a transformation of Kilcher’s original appearance as to be cleared of any of her claims,” said the AV Club.

This case revolves around a “complex area of the law that has taken on a new immediacy in the age of generative AI,” where “anyone with an internet connection” can “easily create images that replicate existing art, photographs and human likenesses,” said The New York Times. Laws attempt to balance First Amendment rights by “distinguishing between commercial exploitation” and artistic works, but the line can be blurry.

The lawsuit “reflects a core fear among Hollywood performers in the artificial intelligence age: losing control of their own faces,” said the Times. Such a problem could seep into the general public, as well. New pushes against AI are “less about the technology than who owns your image, voice and likeness,” said Forbes. Celebrities are simply an “early test case.”

Luang Por Chamnan, the abbot of Buddhist temple Wat Chin Wararam, rides on a boat with his pack of dogs during his morning alms routine on the Chao Phraya River in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Monks rely on boats to reach riverside communities where they collect daily offerings from locals.
Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters

Integrating art and creativity into your life, even for a few minutes a day, can have positive effects, including slowing cognitive decline, reducing heart disease risk and improving well-being as you age, according to scientific studies. Engaging in the arts is the “forgotten fifth pillar of health,” alongside diet, sleep, exercise and nature, said Daisy Fancourt, a professor studying the effect of the arts on people’s health, in her new book, “Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives.” There are plenty of ways to integrate creativity into your life, even if you aren’t a particularly artistic person.

Check out local resources
Spending time indulging in creative pastimes doesn’t have to be expensive to reap health benefits. For example, if you have museums or other cultural institutions nearby, “see if they offer any hours free of charge,” said The New York Times.

Infuse creativity in your social life
Try swapping drinks or dinner with your friends and family for more creative activities. When Fancourt meets up with her sister, they “often do mindful coloring,” she said. It doesn’t have to be a formal endeavor. You can just get together with people and discuss your latest creative projects. Making it a group activity may motivate you to continue injecting creativity into your daily life.

Spend time in nature
Immersing yourself in the natural world can help you link to your brain’s creative side. In a study titled “Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning Through Immersion in Natural Settings,” a group of hikers who spent four days in nature without devices increased performance on a creativity and problem-solving task by 50%.