Russia is set to return to the Venice Biennale for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, presenting a project titled "The tree is rooted in the sky" focused on folklore and multilingual cultures. The Russian pavilion, commissioned by Anastasia Karneeva and supported by Putin’s cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy, will feature a filmed three-day festival. The Biennale organizers defended the inclusion, citing a policy of non-censorship for any country recognized by Italy that owns a pavilion in the Giardini.
The decision has sparked intense backlash from Ukrainian curators and the activist group Pussy Riot, who argue that the Kremlin utilizes culture as "soft power" and an instrument of hybrid warfare to legitimize its regime. Critics point to the historical precedent of totalitarian regimes using the Biennale for propaganda and emphasize that the pavilion itself was originally funded by a Ukrainian patron. This controversy highlights the ongoing tension between the Biennale's ideal of artistic freedom and the ethical complexities of hosting a state currently engaged in a full-scale war.