© Instagram The choice to invite Moscow to the Biennale sparked discord within the Italian administration and indignation in Brussels.
Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli will abstain from attending the inauguration of the 61st Venice Biennale, as a form of protest against the presence of the Russian pavilion at the event, as reported by the Italian Ministry of Culture on April 25, Euronews conveys.
“Minister Alessandro Giuli will not journey to Venice in the days preceding the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale and will not be present at the opening ceremony slated for May 9,” the announcement stated.
Moscow has been absent from the biennale since 2022, concurrent with the commencement of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, this year, it opted to reopen its pavilion, securing authorization from the Biennale Foundation, overseen by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco.
This determination triggered strain in relations with the Culture Ministry, Brussels, and a range of European nations.
Nevertheless, the Russian Federation pavilion will remain inaccessible to the general public from May 9 to November 22, 2026, throughout the entirety of the occasion, and will only be accessible to media representatives from May 6 to 8.
Minister Giuli had already requested the departure of Tamara Gregoretti, the Culture Ministry’s delegate on the Biennale’s governing body, back in March, for neglecting to alert them about the potential engagement of the Russian pavilion and for failing to object to Moscow’s involvement. The matter has instigated rifts within the governing coalition, with Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini voicing his endorsement for Moscow’s participation in the Biennale.
Concurrently, the jury for the 61st Venice Biennale revealed an unprecedented judgment to exclude Russia from the roster of contenders for the awards, attributable to the International Criminal Court’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning alleged war crimes. The same concern is being pondered for Ihrail.
Brussels had earlier emphatically denounced the Biennale's resolution to accommodate a Russian pavilion at the 61st exhibition.
“Member states, institutions, and organisations must conduct themselves in accordance with EU sanctions and refrain from offering avenues to individuals who actively championed or defended the Kremlin's aggression against Ukraine,” stated Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef in March.
The European Commission cautioned that it might suspend or rescind financial support for the biennale, amounting to two million euros, should Russia partake in the biennale.