EU countries back suspension of funding for the Venice Biennale over Russian participation

Published connected 12/05/2026 - 18:19 GMT+2•Updated 18:20

A immense bulk of EU subordinate states criticised the reopening of the Russian pavilion astatine the Venice Biennale during a “heated discussion” among the bloc’s civilization ministers connected Tuesday successful Brussels.

Many ministers besides expressed enactment for the European Commission’s determination to frost a €2 cardinal assistance to the Biennale Foundation for allowing Russia's participation, respective diplomats told Euronews.

The contented was raised by Latvian Minister of Culture Agnese Lāce, who called for preventing what she described arsenic “the instrumentalization of taste institutions by Russia."

According to radical successful the room, a full of 14 ministers denounced Russia's beingness but stopped abbreviated of straight criticising Italy, which was represented astatine the gathering by Ambassador Marco Canaparo successful spot of Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli.

Several countries, specified arsenic Belgium, Spain and Poland, argued that civilization cannot beryllium utilized to whitewash the warfare of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine and stressed the value of avoiding immoderate authorisation circumvention by Russian individuals progressive successful the exhibition.

The Commission and Cyprus’s EU rotating presidency called for a suspension of funding, reallocating the Biennale’s wealth to Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Brussels has truthful acold powerfully condemned the Biennale’s determination to let Russia to reopen its nationalist pavilion, claiming that civilization "should ne'er beryllium utilized arsenic a level for propaganda" and informing that the Russian basal could go a "platform to individuals who person actively supported oregon justified the aggression against Ukraine."

In April, the Commission initiated proceedings to chopped funding, notifying the Biennale of a breach of the grant’s conditions, which, if not addressed, could pb to the suspension oregon termination of the grant.

The instauration maintains that the lawsuit should stay "a spot of dialogue, openness and creator freedom" and that it cannot forestall a state from participating, arsenic immoderate authorities recognised by the Italian Republic tin use to articulation the exhibition.

Russia maintains a pavilion wrong the accumulation country and, nether the rules, tin independently determine whether to instrumentality portion successful each variation of the Venice Biennale. Its past information was successful 2019, arsenic Russian artists withdrew successful 2022 and the state did not contiguous a pavilion successful 2024, alternatively lending its abstraction to Bolivia.

Russia’s information successful 2026 sparked contention wrong the Italian government, arsenic Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli boycotted the opening ceremony, portion vice premier curate Matteo Salvini defended the “freedom of art” and adjacent paid a sojourn to the Russian pavilion.

This year’s variation opened connected Saturday, amid protests for the information of Russia and Israel. The Russian dissident collectives Pussy Riot and Femen displayed slogans against Vladimir Putin portion wearing balaclavas and topless.

The Biennale’s planetary jury, which volition delegate the main awards to the pavilions, collectively resigned aft disapproval for its determination to exclude from prizes those countries whose leaders are presently accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.