Venice Biennale Opens Russian Pavilion for Press Previews

The building housing the Russian national representation at the Venice Biennale opened for press previews on Tuesday, with the pavilion pumping out techno music. It is the first time the Russian pavilion has been open since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia has not participated in the past two editions of the Venice Biennale due to its war in Ukraine.

Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale, decided to open the Russian pavilion against the wishes of the Italian government that appointed him. The Guardian reported that the move could cost the festival €2m in EU funds for a breach of its ethical standards. The Venice Biennale opens its doors to the public on Saturday and opens fully on 9 May.

A Ukrainian official told The Guardian that the closure was a “meaningful step”. The Guardian reported the development after the biennale’s jury resigned en masse in April.

The Venice Biennale jury resigned in objection to entries from countries whose leaders are subject to international arrest warrants. The Guardian reported that the resignations occurred amid a row over Russia. Pietrangelo Buttafuoco’s decision to allow the Russian pavilion to open for previews has drawn scrutiny given the jury action only weeks earlier.

The arts event has become entangled in broader geopolitical tensions. National pavilions at the Venice Biennale are framed as artists representing their nations. Yet in the current fractured world, such national identity representations have proven increasingly fraught, The Guardian reported.