Pussy Riot challenges Russia at Venice

Pussy Riot is trying to stop Russia’s return to the 2026 Venice Biennale by pushing to replace the Russian pavilion with art by political prisoners. (artnet.com) La Biennale di Venezia confirmed on March 4 that the 61st edition will include 100 national participations, among them Russia, and said any country recognized by Italy can take part. (labiennale.org) The main exhibition, “In Minor Keys,” runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7, and 8. Russia’s pavilion plans include a project titled “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky” and a three-day festival from May 5 to 8. (labiennale.org) (theartnewspaper.com) Pussy Riot says the pavilion should instead host “Resistance Imprisoned,” an exhibition built from work made inside Russian prisons. Nadya Tolokonnikova told Artnet the aim is to show how Russia is “once again turning into a gulag.” (artnet.com) That show opened in Strasbourg on April 19 and runs through May 31 at Ritsch-Fisch Galerie. Artnet reported that it includes work by nearly 30 artists still imprisoned in Russia, three former prisoners, and jewelry artist Alexander Dotsenko, who died in jail. (artnet.com) The dispute reaches back to Russia’s absence from the last two Biennales. In 2022, the artists picked for the Russian pavilion withdrew after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and in 2024 Russia lent its pavilion to Bolivia. (hyperallergic.com) Russia’s 2026 return has drawn opposition from dissident artists, Ukrainian voices, and arts groups. Hyperallergic reported on March 10 that more than 6,000 people signed an open letter against the pavilion; by April 23, it said the total had grown to nearly 10,000. (hyperallergic.com 1) (hyperallergic.com 2) The pressure is not only symbolic. On March 10, European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Commissioner Glenn Micallef said Brussels could suspend or terminate support for the Biennale over Russia’s participation. (ec.europa.eu) La Biennale has defended its position by saying it rejects “any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art” and remains a place of dialogue. Pussy Riot and its allies are arguing that, during Russia’s war in Ukraine, the pavilion is not a neutral cultural gesture. (labiennale.org) (theartnewspaper.com) With the Biennale opening in less than two weeks, the fight is now over who gets to speak for Russia in Venice: the state, or the people it has jailed. (labiennale.org) (artnet.com)