Italy's Minister of Culture will boycott the opening of the Venice Biennale due to Russia's presence
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has officially declined to attend the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale in protest against the return of the Russian pavilion.
Euronews reports this, noting that the official will not participate in the events scheduled for May 9. Although Russia has not been represented at the exhibition since 2022, this year the Biennale Foundation approved the reopening of its pavilion.
The situation has sparked a political conflict within the Italian coalition, where Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini spoke out in support of the aggressor’s participation. Alessandro Giulli, on the other hand, condemned Russia’s presence and in March called for the resignation of Tamara Gregoretti, the ministry’s representative on the Biennale’s board of directors, who did not object to this decision. Due to public outcry, the Russian pavilion will be open only to the press from May 6 to 8, and will remain closed to the general public for the duration of the event until November 22.
Previously, the Russian side voluntarily withdrew from participation amid international condemnation of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Biennale Foundation’s decision to reinstate Russia’s representation in 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from cultural figures and diplomats. The Italian Ministry of Culture emphasizes that the head of the ministry’s boycott is a clear signal of the unacceptability of cultural legitimization of the aggressor state.
It should be recalled that the jury of the Venice International Art Exhibition decided not to include artists from Russia and Israel among the contenders for the main awards.
Ukraine had hoped that Italy, as the host country, would not issue visas to Russian participants in the Venice Biennale, even though the organizers did not cancel 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.
