Venice Biennale President Defends Russian Pavilion Decision

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale, stated this week that he has no regrets about hosting the Russian Pavilion, the first time it has appeared since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Buttafuoco told the Italian publication Corriere della Sera that“The Biennale is independent; I'd do it all over again for the Russian pavilion,” adding,“With us, art wins.”

The Biennale's decision to include Russia proved highly controversial. It led to the loss of a €2 million grant from the European Commission, a body of the European Union that claimed the pavilion violated international law. The choice also sparked protests from other participating nations and numerous artists featured in the main exhibition, who also criticized the pavilions for the United States and Israel. Amid these protests, the Biennale maintained it could not bar any country recognized by Italy from staging a pavilion. In March, prior to the opening of the 2026 edition, the Biennale asserted that it“rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.” The Russian Pavilion ultimately opened to visitors only during its preview days and is now closed to the public.

Even within Italy, the Russian Pavilion caused division. Alessandro Giuli, the Italian culture minister, commented,“ Putin won at the Biennale.” Buttafuoco responded to this remark in the Corriere della Sera interview, saying,“ Putin didn't win, art did. The Biennale won not because of me, but because of the history of an institution that looks to the world and that, throughout its 131 years, even during many conflicts, has always welcomed everyone. It would have been impious to suspend an ancient precept of our civilization, that of the truce at the Olympics.” He also addressed the withdrawn grant from the European Commission, noting,“In all the formal and official acts, there is not a single comma that violates laws and regulations.”

Since assuming leadership of the Biennale three years ago, Buttafuoco's political views have drawn scrutiny. He once stated,“I am not a fascist. I am something else.” The nature of this“something else” has been unclear; he has supported Italian cultural identity, a principle central to the country's right-wing politics, according to the Guardian, which described him as“an eccentric type of conservative.” However, he has also critiqued conservatives on issues such as the right to bear arms. His 2015 conversion to Islam alienated some right-wing politicians, including Giorgia Meloni, now Italy's Prime Minister, whose administration has since praised Buttafuoco. When asked by Corriere della Sera if he felt“close to the right wing” today, Buttafuoco replied,“I have an identity, not a membership. Within the Biennale, I serve the institution, not my own personal beliefs.”

Buttafuoco's interview coincided with the start of the Venice Film Festival, an occasion that brought an unexpected ally for the art Biennale in Sergei Loznitsa, a prominent Ukrainian filmmaker. Loznitsa, whose films frequently criticize Russia, told the Guardian that he would“never ever” visit the Russian Pavilion. However, he also questioned the reasoning behind the European Commission's decision to revoke its grant to the Biennale. He commented,“This is a much more serious issue than whether there is a Russian pavilion in Venice or not. Cutting off funding to the Biennale is like a punishment in kindergarten.”

Source: ARTnews

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