EU threatens Biennale funding

The European Commission has opened a formal procedure that could freeze or cancel European Union funding for the Venice Biennale over Russia’s planned return in 2026. (euronews.com) A letter from the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency gave the Biennale 30 days to explain its position, according to Euronews on April 13. The funding at risk is a €2 million grant that runs through 2028. (euronews.com) The dispute centers on the Russian national pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition, which is scheduled to open on May 9, 2026. Russia has not officially taken part since 2022, when the pavilion was closed after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (euronews.com) (artnews.com) On March 10, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef said the Biennale’s decision was “not compatible” with the European Union’s response to Russia’s war. They said the Commission would examine suspending or terminating the grant if the Biennale moved ahead. (ec.europa.eu) Brussels has framed the issue as both sanctions compliance and platforming. The Commission said institutions should not give a platform to people who have “actively supported or justified” the Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine. (ec.europa.eu) The backlash has spread beyond Brussels. Latvia said ministers from 22 countries signed a joint statement on March 10 urging the Biennale to reconsider Russia’s participation, and the letter was sent to Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and shared with Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. (km.gov.lv) That letter said Russia remains under European and international sanctions and argued that giving it a high-profile cultural stage now would send “a deeply troubling signal.” Latvia’s coalition included France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine, among others. (km.gov.lv) The Biennale has defended the decision as a matter of rules and artistic openness. In its March 4 participant announcement, it said any country recognized by Italy that owns a pavilion in the Giardini can notify its intent to participate, and it said the institution rejects “any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.” (theartnewspaper.com) (artnews.com) The argument has also split Italian politics. Euronews reported that Giuli signaled disapproval, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called the European Union pressure “blackmail” and said Brussels was targeting a major Italian cultural institution. (euronews.com) Ukraine has added another layer by sanctioning five Russian cultural figures tied to the pavilion, including commissioner Anastasia Karneeva and Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia’s envoy for international cultural exchanges. Ukraine said they were linked to propaganda and justification of aggression at international events. (artnews.com) The immediate deadline is now the Commission’s 30-day clock. If the Biennale does not change course or satisfy Brussels, the fight over one pavilion could end with a cut to European Union money before the exhibition opens in Venice on May 9. (euronews.com)