Frankfurt (Germany), 21 July. (LaPresse) – The European Union has decided to stop funding the Venice Art Biennale following Russia’s controversial participation in the 2026 edition. A spokesperson for the European Commission announced this. The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), after a legal assessment and on the recommendation of the Commission, has decided to withdraw the ongoing €2 million contribution to the La Biennale di Venezia Foundation. “Cultural projects funded with European taxpayers’ money must defend democratic values and promote open dialogue, diversity, and freedom of expression, values that are not respected in Russia today,” the spokesperson said, as reported by dpa. The decision comes after Russia returned to the Biennale for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine began. The Russian pavilion, owned by the Russian state, hosts the musical and performance project “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,” created by around fifty artists selected by Moscow authorities. Although the pavilion remains closed to the public, the installation is visible from the outside through a large screen. Russian participation had sparked strong protests from Ukraine and numerous cultural figures, who called it part of Moscow’s “hybrid war.” Kiev had also denounced the pavilion’s designated curator’s ties to the Russian war industry.
Biennale: EU revokes €2 million grant after Russian pavilion scandal
Frankfurt (Germany), 21 July. (LaPresse) – The European Union has decided to stop funding the Venice Art Biennale following Russia’s controversial participation in the 2026 edition. A spokesperson for the European Commission announced this. The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), after a legal assessment and on the recommendation of the Commission, has decided to withdraw the ongoing €2 million contribution to the La Biennale di Venezia Foundation. “Cultural projects funded with European taxpayers’ money must defend democratic values and promote open dialogue, diversity, and freedom of expression, values that are not respected in Russia today,” the spokesperson said, as reported by dpa. The decision comes after Russia returned to the Biennale for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine began. The Russian pavilion, owned by the Russian state, hosts the musical and performance project “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,” created by around fifty artists selected by Moscow authorities. Although the pavilion remains closed to the public, the installation is visible from the outside through a large screen. Russian participation had sparked strong protests from Ukraine and numerous cultural figures, who called it part of Moscow’s “hybrid war.” Kiev had also denounced the pavilion’s designated curator’s ties to the Russian war industry.
