Preview-week protests erupt over Russia's inclusion at Venice Biennale
- More than 200 protesters gathered at the Israeli pavilion, while Pussy Riot and FEMEN staged a separate action at Russia’s reopened pavilion on May 6. - Russia is back at Venice for the first time since the 2022 invasion, under warnings from Venice’s mayor that any propaganda would shut it down. - The protests landed after weeks of turmoil — including jury resignations and threats to EU funding over Russia’s return.
Art-world politics turned into street politics at the Venice Biennale this week. During the May 6 preview, protesters targeted both the Israeli and Russian pavilions — turning what is usually an insiders’ opening into a live argument about war, cultural legitimacy, and who gets to stand on an international stage. The immediate spark was Russia’s return to the Biennale for the first time since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But the anger was broader than that, and it had been building for weeks. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Why did this blow up now? Preview week is when curators, artists, collectors, and press flood Venice before the public opening. So if activists want maximum visibility, this is the moment. On May 6, more than 200 people protested outside Israel’s pavilion, while Pussy Riot and FEMEN led a separate demonstration a(theartnewspaper.com) activists confronting the event’s national-pavilion model head-on. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Why is Russia’s pavilion the flashpoint? Because this is not a quiet return. Russia’s pavilion had effectively gone dark after the 2022 invasion, when the curator and artists withdrew. Its 2026 reappearance was announced as the country’s first official participation since then, and critics saw that as more than a(theartnewspaper.com)y Pussy Riot, started attacking the plan well before opening week. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Was the Biennale warned this could happen? Yes — repeatedly. Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in March that Russia’s pavilion would be shut down if it crossed into propaganda, even while defending the Biennale as a place for “diplomacy and openness.” Around the same time, pressure escalated beyond protest group(theartnewspaper.com)ime the previews opened, the institution was already walking into a fight it knew was coming. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Why was Israel also a protest target? Because the Biennale is carrying over unresolved fights from 2024 and from the Gaza war. Last edition, Israel’s pavilion stayed closed, with a notice saying it would open only when there was a ceasefire and hostage-release deal. This year, Israel re(theartnewspaper.com)ding that organizers cancel Israel’s pavilion, so the May 6 protest did not come out of nowhere either. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Is this just about two pavilions? Not really. The deeper issue is the national-pavilion system itself. The Venice Biennale still asks countries to represent themselves through official spaces, which works fine until geopolitics turns those buildings into symbols. Then a pavilion s(theartnewspaper.com)diplomatic outposts, not neutral galleries. (theartnewspaper.com) ### Why does the jury turmoil matter? Because it showed the conflict had moved inside the institution, not just outside it. La Biennale said on April 30 that the international jury had resigned. Separately, the jury had already drawn fire after saying it would not award prizes to countries whose leaders face crimes-a(theartnewspaper.com)ruption from the margins and more like the public phase of an internal breakdown. (labiennale.org) ### So what changes now? The Biennale still opens to the public on May 9 and runs through November 22. But the tone is set. Instead of asking only which artists or pavilions matter most, this edition is now asking whether a global art exhibition can keep using national representation as if it were politically neutral. That question was always there. Venice just lost the ability to pretend otherwise. (labiennale.org)
