The Venice Biennale will challenge the cancellation of its EU grant due to Russia's return
The Venice Biennale has announced that it will challenge the European Union’s decision to revoke a 2 million euro grant in connection with the decision to allow the Russian pavilion to reopen at the 2026 exhibition.
According to “Ukrainska Pravda,” citing Reuters and a statement from the organizers, the Biennale described the decision by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) as expected. The organization stated that it “will defend its rights before all competent authorities” to challenge this decision.
The Venice Biennale rejected the EACEA’s accusations and emphasized that the grant co-financed projects by its film department that “have nothing to do with Russia’s participation.” The organizers also stated that the cancellation of funding would not have a significant impact on the Biennale’s budget, financial reporting, or planned and ongoing activities.
In July, the European Commission recommended that the EACEA terminate the grant due to the decision to allow the Russian pavilion to open for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The procedure to revoke the grant was initiated after the president of the Biennale Foundation, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, confirmed that the pavilion would reopen at this year’s exhibition.
Initially, the Commission gave the Foundation 30 days to either abandon this plan or provide arguments capable of halting the grant revocation procedure. Subsequently, the EU requested additional official clarifications regarding the nature of Russia’s participation. More than 20 European countries called for Russia to be barred from the Venice Biennale, while Ukraine appealed to the organizers to reconsider their decision and maintain the stance demonstrated in 2022–2024.
