Solovyov's insults directed at Meloni played a role in Russia's exclusion from the Venice Biennale
Pina Picerno, the Italian politician and Vice-President of the European Parliament, stated in a comment that it is unacceptable to open a Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
This was reported by the TV channel “Segodnya.”
“I will continue to push for this, as I have been doing for several months with great determination. Because this would send a destructive signal: that the Kremlin regime is allowed to do whatever it wants. Obviously, this is unacceptable,” Picerno said.
The politician also noted that opponents of Russia’s participation in one of the world’s most important contemporary art exhibitions now have an additional argument—the vile insults hurled by Russian propagandist Solovyov at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. According to her, this incident has finally shattered any remaining illusions: this is no longer about culture and dialogue, but about the direct export of aggression and political boorishness.
As a reminder, the jury of the Venice International Art Exhibition decided not to include artists from Russia and Israel among the contenders for the top prizes.
Ukraine had hoped that Italy, as the host country, would not issue visas to Russian participants in the Venice Biennale, even though the organizers had not canceled their participation.
The European Commission intends to suspend €2 million in funding for the Venice Biennale due to the organizers’ decision to allow representatives of the Russian Federation to participate and to open the Russian pavilion.
