Newly leaked emails reveal that the Venice Biennale has been secretly coordinating with Russia since last summer to facilitate its return to the 2025 edition, despite ongoing international sanctions. The correspondence, published by Italian outlets Open and La Repubblica, shows Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, director Andrea Del Mercato, and Russian commissioner Anastasia Karneeva working together on visa issues, pavilion logistics, and a legal strategy to bypass E.U. sanctions prohibiting collaboration with state-backed Russian entities. Russia's pavilion will be open during preview days with performers activating the space, while footage will play for the public from a closed pavilion thereafter.
This controversy matters because it exposes a direct conflict between the Biennale's institutional actions and the broader cultural sanctions regime imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The scandal has already prompted Italy's culture minister to boycott the vernissage, and the European Union has pulled $2 million in funding for the 2028 Biennale. Additionally, the Biennale's jury has announced it will not consider countries whose leaders face ICC charges for crimes against humanity—an indirect rebuke of both Russia and Israel. The leaked emails undermine the Biennale's public stance of neutrality and raise serious questions about its ethical governance and compliance with international law.