Pussy Riot protest at Venice Biennale forces Russian pavilion to briefly close

[Coventina]

The Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale was forced temporarily to shut its doors on the second day of the preview after the activist group Pussy Riot staged a chaotic protest against the country’s inclusion in the art festival.

Wearing pink balaclavas, the protesters ran towards the Russian pavilion where they gathered outside and lit pink, blue and yellow flares while playing punk music and shouting slogans, including “Blood is Russia’s Art”.

At one stage the group of about 40 activists, including members of the feminist activist group Femen, attempted to enter the Russian pavilion but were pushed back by police, who lined the entrance.

Some members had slogans, such as “Curated by Putin, dead bodies included”, “Russia kills, biennale exhibits” and “Russian art, Ukrainian blood” written on their bodies. A statue outside the pavilion was wrapped in a Ukrainian flag.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/06/pussy-riot-protest-at-venice-biennale-forces-russian-pavilion-to-briefly-close

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[muriel_volestrangler]

1. I don't think it was noted on DU - the Biennale jury resigned, rather than consider the Russian and Israeli entries

Venice Biennale jury ‘will not award artists from countries facing war crimes charges’

The five-member jury of the art exhibition said it was committed to “the defence of human rights”, in continuity with the vision established by Koyo Kouoh, the Swiss-Cameroonian curator who was appointed to lead the 2026 edition of the biennale before her death last year, and would therefore refrain from the consideration of those countries whose leaders were charged with crimes against humanity by the international criminal court (ICC).
...
The statement did not mention Russia and Israel, but the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, told reporters that the jury had sent his council a letter saying they were unable to give those artists awards whose governments were under investigation by the ICC. Brugnaro added: “It’s an independent choice which we respect, just as the biennale is independent in choosing to have these pavilions.”

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/apr/24/venice-biennale-jury-not-award-artists-countries-face-war-crimes-israel-russia

Venice Biennale jury quits amid row over participation of Russia

The resignation of the five-member international jury was announced late on Thursday in a brief statement by the Venice Biennale organisers, and came a day after the Italian culture ministry sent inspectors to Venice in search of information about the decision to allow Russia to have a pavilion at the event.

After the resignations, the biennale said it had “decided that the award ceremony of the 61st international art exhibition, previously scheduled for 9 May, will take place on Sunday, 22 November”.

It also said it would hand out two awards, one of which could go to any one of the “national participations included in the 61st Exhibition, as per the official list, following the principle of inclusion and equal treatment”.

“This is consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship,” it said in a statement. “La Biennale seeks to be, and must remain, a place of truce in the name of art, culture, and artistic freedom.”

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/apr/30/venice-biennale-jury-quits-amid-row-russia

Today:

An Italian news outlet claimed that the jury resigned after they were told by the biennale’s legal team that they could be held personally responsible if Israel decided to pursue the matter legally. On Wednesday, a representative from the biennale confirmed to the Guardian that the report was accurate.

[TheProle]

2. They are some fearless women

Persistent and unflinching.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Biennale's president is an admirer of Putin

Last edited Wed May 6, 2026, 06:51 PM - Edit history (1)

As the fuss has grown, the event's president has resisted requests for interviews. A right-wing former journalist, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, has spoken admiringly in the past of Vladimir Putin.

Today, he broke his near silence on the Biennale to accuse critics of creating a "laboratory of intolerance" and condemn what he styled as censorship and exclusion in calls for Russia and Israel to be banned.

"If the Biennale began to select not works but affiliations, not visions but passports, it would cease to be what it has always been: the place where the world meets," Buttafuoco announced, then left the press conference before anyone could ask questions.

His argument ignores the point made by posters pasted all over Venice this week. They advertise imaginary events at an "Invisible Biennale" featuring Ukrainian artists and authors like Volodymyr Vakulenko, who was shot when Russian troops occupied his village.

The posters are stamped: "Cancelled. Because the author was killed by Russia."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgz14e1zeno