Protesters from Pussy Riot, Femen blockade Russian pavilion
Angry protesters blockaded the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in a deafening revolt against the war in Ukraine, bringing political conflict to the glamorous global art fair.
Russian group Pussy Riot joined forces with Ukrainians from Femen to storm the building and disrupt the highly contentious national exhibition.
While the police forced the activists to the ground to prevent them from entering the pavilion, some activists threw smoke bombs bearing the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Pussy Riot, which started as a performance art group in Russia but was forced to flee the country, stood on the Biennale’s main street wearing pink balaclavas and performed a song denouncing the “fascist bastards” in Moscow.
The Russian pavilion is expected to remain open for only a few days, despite calls for the country to be removed from the event due to war, as well as being approved by Biennial organisers.
In a provocative show, the pavilion featured techno dance music and parties during the “pre-opening” phase of the event, which opened to the public on Saturday.
Biennial president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco opposed calls to cancel the Russian pavilion, leading to a row with the jury that will evaluate works from more than 100 countries.
In an extraordinary step to highlight the political crisis at the event, the jury resigned in protest last Thursday and the event will not award its usual “Golden Lion” award for best exhibition.
Buttafuoco instead proposed a “visitor award” that would be judged by attendees’ votes, but some member states are considering whether to announce they will not participate.
Russia’s presence at this year’s event caused greater controversy than the Israeli pavilion, although the jury appeared to target both countries before resigning.
In a move that brought matters to a head, the jury said it would not consider pavilions from countries accused of war crimes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be tried at the International Court of Justice, accusing themselves of war crimes.
Netanyahu and his government rejected the ICJ hearing on the grounds that Israel was defending itself against a terrorist attack by Hamas militants in October 2023 and repeated rocket attacks by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
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David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
