Tolokonnikova urges Venice Biennale to exclude Russia from the 61st exhibition

Nadya Tolokonnikova and Pussy Riot are trying to stop Russia’s pavilion from reopening at the 2026 Venice Biennale. (artnet.com) Tolokonnikova said the pavilion should instead show work by Russian political prisoners through an alternative exhibition called “Resistance Imprisoned.” The 61st Venice Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22, with previews on May 6, 7, and 8. (artnet.com) (labiennale.org) That proposed show opened in Strasbourg on April 19 and runs through May 31. Artnet reported it includes work by nearly 30 artists still imprisoned in Russia, three former prisoners, and Alexander Dotsenko, a jewelry artist who died in jail. (artnet.com) Tolokonnikova’s campaign targets Russia’s first official Biennale participation since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia skipped the 2022 edition after its own artists and curator withdrew, and in 2024 it lent the pavilion to Bolivia. (artnews.com) (hyperallergic.com) The Biennale confirmed on March 4 that Russia would be among 100 national participations in 2026. Hyperallergic reported that Russia plans an exhibition titled “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,” with at least 38 artists and musicians, while ARTnews separately reported Russian official Mikhail Shvydkoy described a project involving more than 50 young musicians, poets, and philosophers. (labiennale.org) (hyperallergic.com) (artnews.com) Opposition has spread beyond artists. More than 6,000 artists, curators, academics, journalists, and political figures signed an open letter in March urging Biennale leaders to reconsider Russia’s participation. (hyperallergic.com) The European Commission escalated the pressure the same day. In a March 10 statement, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Commissioner Glenn Micallef said allowing Russia to reopen its pavilion was not compatible with the European Union’s response to the war and warned of possible action against an ongoing grant. (ec.europa.eu) By April 21, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc intended to cut Biennale funding over Russia’s participation. Politico reported the grant at issue was worth about €2 million over three years. (politico.eu) Russia’s side has framed the pavilion as a cultural, not political, project. ARTnews reported that Shvydkoy said Russia was not “returning” because its pavilion had never ceased to mark the country’s presence in Venice’s cultural space. (artnews.com) Tolokonnikova is arguing for the opposite reading. Her proposal would turn the pavilion dispute into a test of whether the Biennale treats the Russian state as a normal participant while Russian artists, teachers, and journalists remain in prison. (artnet.com)