Reviewing the controversy of the inclusion of Russia in the international art competition
This year marks the 61st annual Venice Biennale. The international art exhibition, often referred to as the Olympics of the art world, features a central exhibit, pavilions of 30 individual nations, and exhibits throughout Venice, Italy. An announcement made on March 4 listed the countries participating in the 61st Biennale, most notably stating Russia was invited to participate in the prestigious exhibition. This triggered public outrage and accusations from Ukraine that the Biennale was offering “a stage… for whitewashing war crimes” according to The Guardian. Following the outcry, the European Commission threatened to cut funding for the Biennale if the plans for Russia’s participation remain unchanged. The Commission expressed the inclusion does not reflect European values and ethics. The funding provided by the European Commission is EU€2 million, equivalent to approximately CAD$3.13 million.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 2022, Russia was never officially banned from the art competition. The Biennale board instead banned access to the 57th annual Biennale “to anyone linked to the Russian government,” which resulted in their pavilion being empty for the 59th and 60th Biennale. This year, Russia will be represented by 38 artists working with sound. The exhibition is called, “The tree is rooted in the sky,” and will be installed in the Giardini venue, the same venue as Canada and 25 other nations. In response to the public protest on Russia’s inclusion, the President of the Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, gave a statement to The Guardian saying, “we believe that where there is art, there is dialogue.” He said artists from all “areas of conflict” were invited to share their point of view.
Banning countries from international competition due to war crimes has happened before. 12 countries have been banned at the Olympics according to the World Population Review. For the 2024 and 2026 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) upheld its ban on Russia and Belarus due to the invasion of Ukraine, which violated the Olympic Truce. Athletes from those countries were allowed to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs), as long as they were unaffiliated with their respective military and government. When IOC President Kirsty Coventry advocated for policy changes that would include Russia in the games, Ukraine’s deputy sports minister Yury Muzyka, responded in a National Post article saying: “in the Russian Federation, sport is part of state policy; it has no autonomy, and athletes and officials are part of the state propaganda machine.”
The inclusion of Russia in the Biennale was celebrated by the Russian government, according to Nadya Tolokonnikova, a Russian musician, artist, activist and founding member of the feminist protest group Pussy Riot. On March 5, Tolokonnikova wrote in an Instagram post that responding to the inclusion of Russia in the Biennale, Russian government official Mikhail Shvydkoy said: “Eternity prevails over momentary concerns; culture prevails over politics… Unfortunately, not everyone is capable of understanding this.” Tolokonnikova notes that Shvydkoy’s statement “is further proof that Russian culture is not isolated, and that attempts to ‘cancel’ it – undertaken for the past four years by Western political elites – have not succeeded.” Tolokonnikova said that the participation of official Russia “is a serious blow to Europe’s security” and to be wary of “cultural “soft power”” which “has become part of Russia’s military doctrine and an instrument of hybrid warfare.”
Tolokonnikova warns on social media that the Venice Biennale should “expect resistance” from the performance group, saying that “if Russian participates in the Biennale, it means this is a political decision by Italy.” The punk-rock performance group Pussy Riot is notorious for their performance inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in February 2012, resulting in the imprisonment of 2 of the eleven members, including Tolokonnikova, attracting global attention and criticism.
According to Euro News, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, does not support Russia’s involvement in the Biennale, and insists the organizers of the Biennale were autonomous from the government in their decision to include Russia in the Biennale. Tolokonnikova argues against Meloni’s stance, as the pavilion belonging to Russia is located in the Giardini gardens, property of the Italian State and people, and the Biennale President is appointed by the Italian government. Tolokonnikova continues, writing that unlike an embassy, the Russian pavilion is “not sovereign territory and does not have diplomatic status,” meaning that the “Italian government, the Venice authorities, and the Biennale itself can refuse Russia’s entry if they so choose.” According to Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot will be attending the Biennale with an alternative protest statement to express their “unconditional support for Ukraine, the victims of Russian war crimes, Russian political prisoners, and Ukrainian captives.”
The Venice Biennale continues to be the oldest and most important contemporary art event in the world,” according to the National Gallery of Canada, “and a place where art, ideas, and international diplomacy intersect.” Certainly attendees of the Biennale are sure to see evidence of the increasing political tension and conflict in the art exhibited, whether or not Russia withdraws or is banned amidst protests.