Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli will not attend the opening of the Venice Biennale as a protest against the Russian Pavilion, which marks the country’s return to the exhibition following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The news was announced in a statement from the Ministry of Culture, which noted that Giuli will neither travel to Venice for the preview of the exhibition nor attend its opening ceremony on May 9.
Russia’s reopening of its national pavilion—with the approval of Venice Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco—has sparked acrimony across the European art world and political sphere. Reflecting the internal divisions it has incited within Italy, Giuli previously called on the culture ministry’s representative on the Biennale’s board of directors, Tamara Gregoretti, to step down in response to the growing backlash.
In response, Gregoretti reiterated her support for Moscow’s participation. “I am serene and have no intention of resigning,” she reportedly said, emphasizing the autonomy of the Biennale’s board. Matteo Salvini has also voiced his support for Moscow’s participation in the exhibition.
Earlier this month, the European Union said it intended to cut funding to the Venice Biennale, an unprecedented rebuke of its decision to greenlight the Russian pavilion amid an invasion that has, to date, resulted in more than 15,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine. The EU reportedly contributes €2 million to each edition of the exhibition.
“While Russia bombs museums, destroys churches, and seeks to erase Ukrainian culture, it should not be allowed to exhibit its own,” Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, said in a statement, describing the country’s inclusion as “morally wrong.” Ukraine, which also returns to the Venice Biennale this year, has sanctioned five individuals associated with the Russian pavilion and has lobbied to have the participants’ visas revoked.
Dozens of artists in the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale also decried Russia’s involvement in an open letter demanding its exclusion, along with Israel and the United States, all of which were described as “current regimes committing war crimes.”
Biennale organizers have resolutely refused such demands, arguing that any state recognized as a nation in Italy is permitted to participate.
The exhibition’s jurors, however, appear to have partially conceded the point, recently announcing that they will not consider for nations whose leaders have been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court—a move that effectively excludes Russia and Israel from award consideration.
Issued the day after the jury was announced by the Venice Biennale, the statement spoke of “a responsibility towards the historical role of the Biennale as a platform that connects art to the urgencies of its time.” The jury, led by Solange Farkas, said it was committed to the “defense of human rights,” in keeping with Koyo Kouoh’s vision for the main exhibition.
