Russian pavilion closed at Venice

The Venice Biennale will keep Russia’s pavilion closed to the public after the May 5–8 preview days, with access limited to invited guests and press. (artnews.com) Italian reports cited by ARTnews said the pavilion would effectively switch to a window-display model once the exhibition opens on May 9, with multimedia documentation visible from outside. (artnews.com) (hyperallergic.com) That arrangement emerged as Biennale officials faced pressure over sanctions tied to Russia’s state institutions and over how the pavilion was brought back into the exhibition. (hyperallergic.com) (artnews.com) Leaked emails published by Open and La Repubblica, and reported by Artnet, showed Biennale officials corresponding with Russian pavilion commissioner Anastasia Karneeva from June 2025 onward. (artnet.com) Artnet reported that by January 2026 Karneeva had supplied exhibition renderings, didactics, and other planning materials, undercutting any impression that Russia’s return was a last-minute decision. (artnet.com) Russia had been absent since 2022, when curator Raimundas Malašauskas and artists Alexandra Sukhareva and Kirill Savchenkov resigned after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the pavilion stayed shut. In 2024, Russia lent the Giardini building to Bolivia for that edition. (artnews.com) The fallout has spread beyond the pavilion itself. The European Commission moved to cut a €2 million grant to the Biennale over Russia’s participation, and Italy’s culture minister Alessandro Giuli said he would skip the opening events. (ilsole24ore.com) (artnews.com) The Biennale jury also said on April 23 it would not consider countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges for the Golden Lion or Silver Lion, a rule The New York Times said would affect Russia and Israel. (nytimes.com) The dispute has also sharpened attention on artists from neighboring Belarus. Belarus Free Theatre is mounting “Official. Unofficial. Belarus.” in Venice from May 9 as a collateral exhibition about censorship, surveillance, and repression under Alexander Lukashenko’s government. (artnet.com) (myartguides.com) For now, the Russian pavilion is set to be physically present at the 61st International Art Exhibition, but not open in the ordinary way once the Biennale begins. (artnews.com)