Venice Biennale to restrict Russian pavilion access amid European government protests

The pavilion is scheduled to open exclusively from May 5 to May 8 for members of the press and the international art community to view the performance project The Tree Is Rooted In the Sky.

For the remainder of the exhibition—running from May 9 through Nov. 22—the building will remain closed to the public. Organizers plan to broadcast recorded performances or documentation on external screens in the windows without the physical presence of the artists.

The Italian publication Open reported that this restricted format was reached following negotiations between Venice Biennale leadership and Anastasia Karneeva, the commissioner of the Russian pavilion.

Leaked emails between Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and Karneeva suggest that the Russian delegation has been lobbying for a full return to the official participant list since November 2025. Karneeva contacted Biennale Director Andrea Del Mercato to request letters of invitation to facilitate the visa process for the artists. He promised "full readiness and attention."

Similar requests were repeated in the following months, along with requests for support for other participants. The same emails also mentioned a desire to officially return to the list of participating countries—Karneeva asked Del Mercato to restore the Russian pavilion on the website and map, where it had been listed as Bolivia.

In January 2026, Karneeva sent the organizers a detailed pavilion proposal along with texts for the official catalog. The outlet believes that Biennale President Buttafuoco personally lobbied for Russia’s return to the exhibition.

A series of protests against the opening of the Russian pavilion is scheduled to take place in Venice from May 6 to 9.

Background of the dispute

The 2026 Venice Biennale marks the first time Russia has attempted to open a national pavilion since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The decision has drawn formal protests from 22 European governments. Furthermore, 37 members of the European Parliament have urged the European Commission to suspend 2 million euros ($2.3 million) in funding for the Biennale, arguing that Russia’s participation undermines EU credibility.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently signed a decree imposing sanctions on five Russian cultural figures associated with the pavilion, including Karneeva. Karneeva is the daughter of Nikolai Volobuev, a retired general and deputy director of the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec.

Kyiv has called on Italy not to issue visas to Russian participants in the Biennale.

In response to the mounting pressure, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas announced that the European Commission would cut funding to the event, calling Russia’s presence "morally wrong."

According to European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier, the Biennale has 30 days to respond and explain why the Russian pavilion was opened. If the response is not satisfactory, the European Commission intends to suspend or terminate the grant.

Latvian Minister of Culture Agnese Lāce stated that she would boycott the opening of the exhibition on May 9 if Russia participates. She initiated a joint statement calling for Russia’s exclusion from the Venice Biennale. It was signed by 25 countries.

The Finnish government also announced that its high-ranking officials will not attend this year’s exhibition if the organizers do allow the Russian pavilion to open.

The Biennale jury has since announced that it has excluded both Russia and Israel from consideration for major awards and stated that jurors will not visit their respective pavilions.