Protests Held at Venice Biennale Over Russia's Return

Protests took place at the Venice Biennale over the inclusion of a Russian pavilion, the first time Russia has participated since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot and Femen, founded in Ukraine, staged a joint demonstration in the gardens of the arts event.

" outside the Russian national pavilion and set off smoke flares. Security guards closed the glass doors as the protest continued. "They're drinking vodka and champagne in their pavilion, soaked in the blood of Ukrainian children," Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova said.

The demonstration occurred during pre-opening events this week.

Russia's reinstatement had been expressed since the move was announced by Moscow earlier this year. The European Commission strongly condemned the decision and threatened to pull €2 million in funding for the Biennale. It argued that allowing Russia to participate went against ethical standards linked to the grant.

Italy's culture minister will not attend when the fair opens to the public on Saturday. The disquiet extended beyond Russia's return.

" Israel's foreign ministry had previously criticised what it called a "political jury" for turning the Biennale into a place of anti-Israeli political indoctrination. The event's president resisted requests for interviews amid the growing attention.

" He condemned calls for Russia and Israel to be banned as censorship and exclusion. "If the Biennale began to select not works but affiliations, not visions but passports, it would cease to be what it has always been: the place where the world meets," Buttafuoco said.

Russia's return is only partial.

After the pre-opening events the pavilion will close for the public opening, though performances are being recorded to be screened outside. The sound from the Russian pavilion will carry toward Ukraine's exhibit located right beside the main entrance.

Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova contributed a sculpture of an origami deer cast in concrete, suspended from a crane. The work was first installed in Pokrovsk in eastern Donbas when the front line with Russian forces was almost 40 kilometres away. By 2024 Kadyrova had to evacuate the piece to prevent it from falling under occupation.

"We have a destroyed city that does not exist now. I hope this message is clear and people who visit Biennale can understand it," Kadyrova said. The deer has become a symbol of displacement for millions of Ukrainians displaced by the war. Posters advertising an imaginary "Invisible Biennale" featuring Ukrainian artists whose work was cancelled have appeared across Venice.