Following intense criticism, calls for boycotts, and the European Union's official warning about the intent to terminate millions in funding, it appears that Russia's return to the 61st Venice Biennale will employ several workarounds to comply with international sanctions.
Reports from Italian news outlets indicate that the Russian Pavilion will only be physically accessible during the Biennale's pre-opening vernissage dates of May 5–8, when some of the included artists in the The tree is rooted in the sky exhibition will stage performances for the press and other industry professionals. From May 9 onward, the building will remain closed, and multimedia documentation of the performances will be visible to future visitors from screens installed at the pavilion's windows.
These details stem from email conversations among Biennale Foundation President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, General Director Andrea Del Mercato, and Russian Pavilion Commissioner Anastasia Karneeva, reviewed and published by Italian outlets Open and La Repubblica. The correspondence reveals that the path for Russia's participation reportedly traces back to June 2025, and that by January of this year, Karneeva had provided details, didactics, and renderings for the pavilion exhibition.
An email between Karneeva and Del Mercato from November 2025 shows the latter's efforts to help secure a travel visa for the pavilion curator, Petr Musoev, by citing excerpts from his conversation with an official involved with Italy's diplomatic mission in Russia.
In response to the published emails, the Biennale Foundation told Il Giornale today, April 27, that the inclusion of Russia was facilitated with “absolute respect for the rules, having acted in strict compliance with applicable national and international laws and within the limits of its own powers and responsibilities.”
“No prohibition of European sanctions was circumvented, as stated by journalistic reports. The sanctions were rigorously applied,” the Foundation's statement continued, adding that like all other national participants with pavilions in the Giardini, the “feasibility of the projects of the Russian Federation and their compliance with current regulations have also been rigorously evaluated.”
Hyperallergic has reached out to the Biennale Foundation for comment.
Pressure is mounting on the Biennale over Russia and Israel's participation in this year's event. Last week, the event's international awards jury publicly stated that it wouldn't consider “countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC)” from its consideration for awards, effectively barring Russia and Israel.
The new details about Russia's pavilion come just days after Italian Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli announced that he would not attend the Biennale's preview days and opening ceremony on May 9. Giuli had previously requested that the Biennale Foundation turn over documents and communications with Russian authorities to evaluate “their compatibility with the current sanctions regime” imposed by the European Union (EU).
He also called for the resignation of MiC representative Tamara Gregoretti from the Biennale Foundation's board, stating that she had failed to warn the Culture Ministry about Russia's possible reemergence and the “fact that she had expressed herself in favor of its participation — despite being fully aware of the international sensitivity surrounding the issue.”
After two consecutive absences, Russia will return to its national pavilion in the Giardini for the first time since the nation began its deadly invasion of Ukraine. Artists Kirill Savchenkov and Alexandra Sukhareva and curator Raimundas Malašauskas withdrew the pavilion exhibition in 2022 in protest of Russia's attacks, and in 2024, Russia opted to loan its national pavilion to Bolivia, which participated in the Biennale for the first time.
