Venice Biennale ultimatum

The European Commission has given the Venice Biennale 30 days to answer questions over Russia’s pavilion, putting a €2 million European Union grant at risk. (euronews.com) A letter sent by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency to Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco says Brussels has opened a procedure that could freeze or revoke funding allocated through 2028. The deadline runs to May 11, according to reporting on the letter. (euronews.com) (msn.com) The Commission had already warned on March 10 that Russia’s participation at the 61st International Art Exhibition was “not compatible” with the European Union’s response to the war in Ukraine. It said it would consider suspending or terminating the grant if the Biennale went ahead. (ec.europa.eu) The dispute centers on the Russian national pavilion in the Giardini, one of the Biennale’s permanent country buildings. Russia has not mounted a normal pavilion since 2022, when its artists and curator withdrew after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (artnews.com) For 2026, Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia’s delegate for international cultural exchanges and a former culture minister, told ARTnews the pavilion would reopen in May. He said the project would involve more than 50 young musicians, poets and philosophers from Russia and other countries. (artnews.com) The planned program, titled “The tree is rooted in the sky,” has been described as a three-day festival from May 5 to May 8, filmed before the Biennale’s official opening on May 9 and then shown inside the pavilion. The 2026 exhibition is scheduled to run from May 9 to November 22. (theartnewspaper.com) (euronews.com) The Biennale has defended the decision by saying countries recognized by Italy that own pavilions in the Giardini can notify their participation. It also said it rejects “any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.” (theartnewspaper.com) Opposition has spread beyond Brussels. Politico reported that culture ministers from 22 European countries, including France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine, urged the Biennale in March to reconsider Russia’s participation. (politico.eu) Pressure also came from the European Parliament. The Art Newspaper reported on March 27 that at least 34 members of the European Parliament signed a letter calling for all European Union funding to be suspended if Russia’s participation proceeds. (theartnewspaper.com) Italy’s own government has split over the issue. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has signaled opposition to Russia’s presence, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called the Commission’s move “blackmail” and said Brussels was threatening a major Italian cultural institution. (euronews.com) The next marker is May 11, when the Biennale’s reply is due, less than two weeks before the art exhibition opens to the public in Venice. Whether Brussels accepts that answer will decide if the fight stays symbolic or hits the Biennale’s budget. (euronews.com)