Venice Biennale Becomes Battleground Over Russia’s Return to Global Art Stage

The international art exhibition in Venice has become the arena for a fierce confrontation involving Russia. Brussels is unhappy that the event seeks to unite the peoples of the world, while, in its view, Russia should remain "in isolation.”

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/franganillo/35938421701/ by Jorge Franganillo, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Venice

The Biennale is a major international event in the world of art held once every two years. Put simply, it is the Olympic Games for artists, architects, and designers.

In response to the decision by the organizers, Fondazione Biennale, to allow Russia to participate, the European Commission suspended a €2 million grant, while the EU's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas has issued denunciatory statements almost every other day.

Brussels Opposes Russia's Presence

According to Kallas, while Russia is "bombing museums, destroying churches, and attempting to erase Ukrainian culture,” it should not be allowed to present its own culture at prestigious international venues.

The European Commission clarified that the operation of the Russian pavilion violates EU sanctions because it is allegedly directly financed and managed by the Russian state. Therefore, Brussels argues, Russia's participation gives it a platform for "soft power” propaganda.

But that was not the end of the controversy.

The international jury of the exhibition resigned in full, refusing to award prizes to countries "accused of crimes against humanity.” More than 20 countries expressed protest, while Latvia declared personae non gratae individuals who contributed to Russia's return.

Russian Exhibition Branded as Soft Power

Nevertheless, the leadership of the event insisted on Russia's participation, citing the preservation of diplomatic relations between countries.

"The Venice Biennale is a space for dialogue, where people work for peace, not a tribunal,” said its president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco.

As a compromise, the pavilion was opened only to the press and professionals from May 5 to May 8. Visitors will be able to experience the project only from outside the pavilion, where recordings of performances will be broadcast on external screens and the music transmitted through loudspeakers.

Russia presented a collective musical project titled "The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky.”

The pavilion involves around 50 participants, including musicians, philosophers, and poets from Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Mali, and Mexico. Inside the building stands an "inverted tree” — an art object depicting roots stretching upward into the sky — alongside floral installations.

The work is dedicated to traditions and musical languages that evolve far from major cultural centers while preserving their authentic energy.

Among the Russian participants are the vocal ensemble Intrada, the folklore ensemble Toloka, composer Alexey Retinsky, and the project Moscow Noise Manufactory.

The project is organized and financed by commissioner Anastasia Karneeva of the company Smart Art and the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music with the support of patrons.

Russian Culture Presented as a Unifying Force

And where, one may ask, is the "soft power” in all this?

The issue is that Russia's participation signals to the world that the country is not in cultural isolation. The use of an international cast emphasizes that Russia remains part of the global dialogue and continues to have supporters among countries of the Global South that do not politicize or sanction culture, as culture should not be politicized.

In reality, Brussels is discriminating against world art because Russian culture represents a vast tectonic platform that unites humanity.

Another revealing moment came when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that although the government does not share the decision to admit Russia, Fondazione Biennale is an autonomous structure.

In other words, Italy still retains the ability to object to Brussels, and dialogue with Rome remains possible.

It is worth recalling that relations between Russia and Italy once stood as a model of mutually beneficial coexistence in the pre-war era.