By The European Times | Created at 2026-07-29 06:36:27 | Updated at 2026-08-05 20:28:23
1 week ago
The European Union is suspending funding for the Venice Biennale over Russia’s participation in this year’s edition, European Commission spokesman Thomas Rainier said, quoted by DPA and AFP.
“Following a legal assessment and a recommendation from the EC, the European Executive Agency for Education and Culture (EACEA) has decided to suspend the current grant of 2 million euros to the Venice Biennale Foundation,” he said.
Cultural projects funded with European taxpayers’ money must “defend democratic values, promote open dialogue, diversity and freedom of expression,” Rainier said, adding that these were “values that are not respected in contemporary Russia.”
Russia is participating in the Venice Biennale, which is held every two years, for the first time this year since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The European grant was used to support film producers and virtual reality technologies, BTA specifies.
After a four-year absence, Russia returned with a national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, which caused one of the most serious political and public controversies surrounding this year’s edition. The project “The Tree is Rooted in the Sky”, presented in the Russian pavilion in the gardens of the Biennale (Giardini), brought together nearly 40 artists, but from the moment it was announced, it met with fierce resistance and remained open for only three days.
The ministers of culture of 20 EU countries, the European Commission, the Ukrainian authorities, MEPs and the Italian Minister of Culture declared themselves against Russia’s participation in the forum. The main argument was that Moscow could use its presence as a tool for legitimization amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and the destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
The dispute deepened on the eve of the Biennale’s opening. The European Commission initiated a procedure to freeze European funding for the Venice Biennale Foundation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on the commissioner of the Russian pavilion and four other people associated with the project, and the international jury resigned after disputes over the participation of Russia and Israel. Protests were held in Venice itself, organized by the anti-Kremlin collective Pussy Riot, while Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the decision, arguing that art should remain a space for dialogue without censorship.
This year’s 61st edition of the Venice Biennale is being held under the motto In Minor Keys, based on the concept of the late curator Koyo Kuo, who died suddenly in 2025. It runs until November.
Illustrative photo: pexels-maxwell-37302100
