Venice Biennale Foundation President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco showed he is unrepentant on Thursday after the European Union said this week that it was axing two million euros in funding to the foundation over its controversial decision to allow Russia to take part in its 2026 International Art Exhibition.
“We are losing a fellow traveller, but the Biennale certainly cannot bow down,” Buttafuoco said at the presentation of the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
“We do not engage in politics, we do not pander to the crowd; we are here for international research in the arts.
“By complying with their demands, we would have betrayed the principles of autonomy, freedom of expression, and the pursuit of imagination and creativity that have defined this institution for 131 years”.
Explaining the decision to suspend the funding on Tuesday, a Commission spokesperson said: “cultural events funded by European taxpayers’ money should safeguard democratic values and promote open dialogue, diversity, and freedom of expression – values that are not respected in today’s Russia.
The EU executive had previously written to Biennale to say the reopening of the Russian pavilion, albeit not to the public, was a possible breach of European sanctions on Moscow related to the invasion of Ukraine.
It is possible to see the Russian exhibit — “the tree is rooted in the sky” — from outside through the building’s windows.
Russia had missed the previous two Venice Biennale art exhibitions following its 2022 invasion of its neighbour, and had last taken part in 2019.