EU Threatens Funding Of Major Art Fair Over Russia’s Return
ROME, March 11 (Reuters) – The European Commission has threatened to withdraw funding from a Venice Biennale art exhibition if organizers go ahead with plans to allow Russia to reopen its pavilion at this year’s biennial.
Russia’s pavilion at the art fair is closed after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; This triggered the exclusion of Russian artists and institutions from major cultural events in Europe.
“Member states, institutions and organizations must act in accordance with EU sanctions and avoid giving a platform to those who actively support or legitimize the Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine,” the EU said in a statement.
He added that he would examine further action, including the suspension or termination of an EU grant to the Biennale Foundation, which organizes the contemporary visual arts event held in Venice’s historic shipyards known as the Arsenale from May to December.
Biennial President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco described the festival as “a space of coexistence for the entire planet, free of censorship, which should also be open to countries in conflict.”
ROME DID NOT ACCEPT THE BIENNIAL DECISION
However, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said the government did not agree with the Biennial Foundation’s “completely autonomous” decision.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was a staunch supporter of EU sanctions against Russia, but before the invasion of Ukraine her co-ruling League Party had strong ties to President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.
Italian events have tried to host Russian artists on several occasions but have backed down in the face of criticism.
Last year, authorities canceled a classical concert at a palace near Naples that was scheduled to feature Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, who is thought to be close to Putin.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Deputy Prime Minister Tetyana Berezhna on Sunday called on the international art community to be careful about Russia’s use of culture as a propaganda tool.
“The Venice Biennale is one of the most respected art platforms in the world and should not be the scene of whitewashing the war crimes that Russia commits every day against the Ukrainian people and our cultural heritage,” they said.
This year, Russia and Belarus were readmitted to the Winter Paralympic Games hosted by Italy in Milan and Cortina, following a controversial decision by the International Paralympic Committee.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti, Editing by Gavin Jones and Alex Richardson)
