FT: European Commission warns Venice Biennale will violate sanctions if Russia pavilion opens

The European Commission has warned the Italian government and the organizers of the Venice Biennale that the exhibition would violate European Union sanctions if it included a Russian national pavilion.

This would violate the ban on “providing services” to the Kremlin, since, as the Commission points out, the Russian pavilion belongs to Putin’s government.

This is reported by the Financial Times, whose journalists have reviewed the letters from the European Commission.

“Any costs covered by Russia to ensure the participation of the Russian artistic delegation in the Biennale benefit the Biennale itself and appear to qualify as indirect economic support,” the Commission said in a letter to the Italian government.

Brussels has sought clarification on the agreements between the biennale and the Russian government to assess their compatibility with sanctions rules. A European Commission spokesperson confirmed in a statement to the Financial Times that the letters exist and that the biennale organizers have 30 days to respond.

“Cultural events funded by European taxpayers should uphold democratic values, promote open dialogue, diversity and freedom of speech – values that are not respected in modern Russia,” he added.

Earlier, the Biennale staff developed a participation scheme that would not violate EU sanctions. Before the official opening of the Biennale, Russian artists will perform at closed screenings for the press and experts. The performances will be recorded on video. When the exhibition opens to everyone, these recordings will be broadcast in the Russian pavilion. The pavilion itself will be closed to visitors.

Russiaʼs participation in the Venice Biennale

The Venice Biennale is one of the leading exhibitions of contemporary art, held every two years in Venice, Italy. The Biennale includes thematic exhibitions of contemporary art and national pavilions.

Russia was a regular participant in the Venice Biennale, but its participation in 2022 was canceled. This happened on February 27, a few days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This year, the Russian pavilion was called The tree is rooted in the sky.

Before that, the Russian delegate for international cultural exchanges and former Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoy said that one of the messages of the pavilion was that “politics exists in temporal dimensions, while cultures communicate in eternity”.

On March 10, European Commission Vice-President Henna Virkunen and European Commissioner Glenn Micallef spoke out against Russiaʼs participation. They called the decision to admit Russia incompatible with the EUʼs collective response to Russian aggression. If the Biennale Foundation does not reconsider, the European Commission may suspend or terminate its grant (a three-year grant of €2 million).

Subsequently, the culture ministers of 22 European countries signed a joint appeal against Russiaʼs return to this yearʼs Venice Biennale. And on April 29, the Italian Ministry of Culture sent inspectors to the exhibition over permission to open the Russian pavilion.

On Thursday, April 30, nine days before the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale, the exhibitionʼs jury announced its collective resignation in support of the decision not to consider Russia and Israel among the contenders for the main awards, the Golden Lion and Silver Lion. The leaders of these countries are accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity.

Later, the organizers of the Venice Biennale reported in an official statement that they had changed the format of the awards ceremony after the jury resigned. They decided that the winners of this yearʼs exhibition would be chosen by visitors who were on location.

To this end, two new awards have been introduced — "Visitorsʼ Lions". They will be awarded to the best participant in the main exhibition and for the best national participation.

Separately, the organizers of the biennale emphasized that all national pavilions are admitted to the evaluation "on the basis of inclusiveness and equal treatment", and the biennale itself should remain "a space of truce in the name of art, culture, and creative freedom". So Russia and Israel will again be able to compete for the main awards. The awards ceremony was also postponed from May 9 to November 22, the last day of the exhibition.

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