Russia Returns to Venice Biennale
Russia will officially return to the Venice Biennale in 2026 after a four-year absence triggered by the Ukraine conflict. The Biennale Foundation confirmed Russia will regain its national pavilion at the world's most prestigious contemporary art event. This marks a significant development likely to spark both artistic and political discussion about national representation in art exhibitions.
In 2022, the originally selected artist Kirill Savchenkov, artist Alexandra Sukhareva, and Lithuanian curator Raimundas Malašauskas withdrew from the Venice Biennale in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Savchenkov and Sukhareva stated, "There is no place for art when civilians are dying under the fire of missiles," while Malašauskas called the war "politically and emotionally unbearable." During the 2024 Biennale, Russia did not officially participate but lent its national pavilion in the Giardini to Bolivia. This allowed for an exhibition featuring Bolivian and other Latin American artists, temporarily repurposing the space. The Russian pavilion itself is a historic structure, designed by architect Aleksei Shchusev, and first opened in 1914. Over its century-long history, it has been a significant venue for showcasing Russian and Soviet art, featuring around 800 artists since its inception. For its 2026 return, the Russian exhibition is titled "The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky." The project is said to bring together over 50 young musicians, poets, and philosophers from Russia and other nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Mali, and Mexico. The stated concept is that "politics exists in a temporal dimension, whereas cultures communicate in eternity." The commissioner for the Russian pavilion is Anastasia Karneeva, who was appointed to an eight-year term in 2021. Karneeva is the daughter of Nikolai Volobuyev, a retired general who served in the KGB and FSB and is the deputy director of the major defense corporation Rostec. The decision for Russia's return has already prompted reactions. The Russian feminist anti-Putin group Pussy Riot is planning a protest performance in Venice. Meanwhile, Italy's Ministry of Culture has stated that the decision was made independently by the Biennale Foundation, distancing the Italian government from the move. Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia's delegate for international cultural exchanges, has framed the event not as a "return" but as a continuous "presence," asserting that the exhibition is "proof that Russian culture is not isolated, and that attempts to 'cancel' it... have not succeeded." The Biennale Foundation itself maintains that it does not typically decide on national participation.
