EU presses on Russia funding

European Union officials have warned the Venice Biennale they could suspend funding if Russia is allowed to reopen its national pavilion in 2026. (politico.eu) The warning came in a joint statement on March 10 from European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen and Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who said the decision was not compatible with the European Union’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The grant at risk is worth about €2 million, according to reports cited by art industry outlets. (theartnewspaper.com) Russia was listed on March 4 among 99 countries taking part in the 61st International Art Exhibition, which runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The Russian project is titled “The Tree is Rooted in the Sky,” and reports said it involved roughly three dozen artists and performers. (abcnews.go.com) The Venice Biennale is not a single curated show run only by Italy; it also includes national pavilions, and Russia has a permanent historic pavilion in the Giardini. That structure gave Moscow a straightforward route back onto the participant list even after four years of absence. (abcnews.go.com) Russia’s pavilion was shuttered in 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the artists and curator withdrew. In 2024, the same pavilion was lent to Bolivia instead of hosting an official Russian project. (euronews.com) Pressure then widened beyond Brussels. Culture ministers from 22 European countries, including France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine, sent a letter urging Biennale organizers to reconsider Russia’s participation. (politico.eu) Italy’s government also distanced itself from the decision. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said he opposed Russia’s inclusion, fired ministry official Tamara Gregoretti after accusing her of failing to alert the ministry, and ordered an inquiry into whether the plan complied with European Union sanctions. (abcnews.go.com) Biennale organizers defended the move by saying Venice should remain “a place of dialogue, openness and artistic freedom,” and that the institution rejects exclusion or censorship in culture. Kremlin cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy welcomed the return as evidence that Russian culture was not isolated. (euronews.com) (theartnewspaper.com) Ukrainian officials and a cross-party group of members of the European Parliament answered that culture cannot be separated from state power when a sanctioned government is using international platforms during an ongoing war. By late March, lawmakers were still pressing top European Union leaders to stop the Russian return before the exhibition opens in May. (euronews.com) The immediate question is no longer only whether Russia exhibits in Venice. It is whether the Biennale can keep European public funding while defending a decision that Brussels, Rome and 22 governments have all challenged. (politico.eu)