Italy's Ministry of Culture to Investigate the Venice Biennale Over Russia's Participation

The Italian Ministry of Culture has sent inspectors to the Venice Biennale to investigate the circumstances surrounding the decision to open the Russian pavilion. 

This was reported by the ANSA news agency.

The event has faced harsh criticism for allowing Russia, which has been absent from the exhibition since 2022. The European Commission has already warned that the aggressor country’s participation jeopardizes two million euros in EU funding.

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giulli personally called on the organizers to revoke the invitation for Russian representatives. Earlier, the jury of the 61st Biennale decided not to award prizes to participants from Russia due to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin on charges of war crimes.

The situation surrounding the Russian pavilion remains controversial amid Moscow’s international isolation. The inspectors’ review aims to assess whether the organizers’ actions align with the country’s cultural policy.

It should be noted that Russia’s participation in international events has sparked protests in many European capitals. The cultural community is demanding the complete exclusion of a country that continues its aggression against Ukraine. The findings of the inspection could influence the future of the exhibition and its state funding.

As a reminder, Ukraine had hoped that Italy, as the host country, would not issue visas to Russian participants in the Venice Biennale, despite the fact that 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.