<p European authorities canceled a multiyear grant to the Venice Biennale because of Russia’s participation, stating that its inclusion in the major art event amid the war in Ukraine was inconsistent with European principles.</p><p A spokesperson for the European Commission said that cultural events funded by European taxpayers should safeguard democratic values, open dialogue, diversity and freedom of expression, values not respected by today’s Russia.</p><p The grant was worth 2 million euros (about $2.3 million), a small fraction of the Biennale’s budget. The decision, discussed since March, highlights a controversy over Russia’s return to the event, which features national pavilions showcasing work by renowned artists.</p><p After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Biennale had stated it would not accept official delegations or institutions tied to the Russian government for the duration of the war, and Russia did not participate that year.</p><p Russia was also absent from the 2024 edition and the pavilion was lent to Bolivia.</p><p In March, the Biennale announced Russia’s return for the current year’s event, which opened in May and runs through November, but the pavilion opened only during a preview week and hosted performances ranging from folk to techno, provoking protests including from Pussy Riot.</p><p Currently, visitors cannot enter the pavilion, but can view video recordings of the performances on screens visible through the windows, and can still vote for Russia in the Visitor’s Lion award for the best national pavilion.</p><p The Biennale stated that the grant funded work unconnected to Russia’s participation and that losing the funding had no significant impact on the event.</p><p Last week, the Kremlin spokesman described Europe’s funding threat as an attempt to cancel Russian culture, calling erasure of Russian culture a sad development.</p>
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