Russia’s return to the world’s most prestigious art exhibition for the first time since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sparked an unprecedented diplomatic backlash — from Brussels to Warsaw.
The Fondazione Biennale’s decision to allow Russia to reopen its national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale has drawn sharp condemnation from European governments and EU institutions alike. Russia has not participated with a national pavilion since 2019 — in 2022, its curator and artists voluntarily withdrew in protest of the invasion, and in 2024 the space was handed to Bolivia. Now, with the pavilion set to return under the title Tree Rooted in the Sky, Europe’s response has been swift and coordinated: the European Commission has threatened to pull funding, while ministers from 22 countries have signed a joint protest letter demanding the decision be reversed.
The EU puts grant funding on the line
European Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen and Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef issued a joint statement strongly condemning the Biennale Foundation’s decision.
“Culture promotes and safeguards democratic values, fosters open dialogue, diversity and freedom of expression, and should never be used as a platform for propaganda,” the statement read. The officials also stressed that member states, institutions, and organisations must act in line with EU sanctions and avoid giving a platform to individuals who have actively supported or justified the Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine.
The warning was direct: “This decision by the Fondazione Biennale is not compatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression. Should the Fondazione Biennale go forward with its decision to allow Russia’s participation, we will examine further action, including the suspension or termination of an ongoing EU grant to the Biennale Foundation.”
22 governments sign joint protest letter
In parallel, ministers of culture and foreign affairs from 22 countries signed a joint letter calling on the Biennale to reverse its decision. The initiative was led by Latvia and co-signed by Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Ukraine, according to a statement from Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Poland’s Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska, one of the signatories, was particularly pointed in her statement on X: “An artist subservient to a criminal becomes complicit in his crimes. Culture that remains silent in the face of the murder of people becomes a culture of death and terror.”
The letter was addressed to Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and the exhibition’s board and forwarded to Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. The signatories argued that while the Venice Biennale has long stood as the world’s most important platform for creative freedom and cultural exchange, cultural institutions must bear not only artistic prestige but also moral responsibility. “Culture was one of the first and main targets of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine,” the letter stated. “Culture is not on the sidelines of international politics—it is its axis and cause, and therefore cannot remain indifferent.”
Background: Russia’s pavilion and its commissioner
Russia has not shown at the Biennale since 2019. In 2022, the pavilion was shuttered after its curator and artists voluntarily withdrew in protest at the invasion. In 2024, the space was handed to Bolivia. This year, Russia’s pavilion — titled Tree Rooted in the Sky — features a series of sound performances with musicians, poets, and philosophers from multiple countries, under the commissioning of Anastasia Karneeva. Ukrainian officials have raised concern over Karneeva’s reported ties to Russia’s military-industrial complex, warning that the pavilion risks serving as a vehicle for state propaganda rather than genuine cultural exchange. Reporting by EUToday has drawn attention to her family and business links to Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defence conglomerate — raising questions about whether the pavilion can credibly be presented as an independent cultural initiative rather than an extension of the Russian state apparatus.
The pavilion’s lineup has also drawn scrutiny. According to the Kyiv Independent, among the invited performers are members of Toloka, a nationalist folk ensemble known for performing in support of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, as well as the artistic director of a state choir that has received recognition directly from Vladimir Putin.
Moscow, for its part, has framed the return as a victory. Mikhail Shvydkoy, Putin’s special representative for international cultural cooperation, told ARTnews that Russia “never left the Venice Biennale” and described the pavilion’s reopening as proof that Western attempts to “cancel” Russian culture had failed.
Ukraine has called on the Biennale to maintain the principled stance it demonstrated in 2022–2024. The Fondazione Biennale has so far held its position, stating it “rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art” and that the Biennale “continues to be a place of dialogue, openness, and artistic freedom”. The Foundation has also noted that it does not control national pavilions — the decision to participate rests with each country’s own representatives.
