Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale, defended the decision to allow Russia to reopen its pavilion for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, stating that the Biennale is "not a court; it is a garden of peace." The move has sparked widespread backlash, including threats to pull €2.3 million in EU funding. Protests have erupted on the ground, with Pussy Riot and FEMEN staging a theatrical demonstration outside the Russian Pavilion, setting off smoke flares and chanting slogans. Separately, around 60 artists performed a "Solidarity Drone Chorus" to protest Israel's participation, and the Art Not Genocide Alliance has called for a 24-hour strike and rallies across Venice. The Russian Pavilion will be open only during press preview days due to EU sanctions, with video projections visible from outside for the rest of the Biennale's run.
This controversy matters because it tests the Biennale's longstanding claim to be a neutral platform for cultural dialogue against growing demands for political accountability in the art world. Buttafuoco's framing of the exhibition as a "garden of peace" clashes with critics who argue that hosting Russia and Israel amid ongoing conflicts amounts to complicity. The protests and sanctions highlight a broader tension between artistic freedom and ethical responsibility, raising questions about whether major international exhibitions can—or should—remain apolitical in times of war. The outcome could set a precedent for how other cultural institutions navigate geopolitical crises.