European Union officially pulls €2m Venice Biennale funding over Russian participation

The European Union has formally terminated a €2m grant to the Venice Biennale after controversy over Russia being allowed to use its pavilion for the first time since 2022 despite its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said EU-funded cultural events should uphold democratic values that “are not respected in today’s Russia,” in comments reported Tuesday by Agence France-Presse. Russia’s participation was announced in March by Mikhail Shvydkoy, President Vladimir Putin’s international cultural envoy, and the pavilion was open only during the preview; protests included Pussy Riot, and the article notes that dissident Russian artist Robert Kuzovkov was killed in Poland last month. Henna Virkkunen wrote on X on 11 July that the Commission recommended ending the grant, and the European Education and Cultural Executive Agency (EACEA) issued the official decision on 21 July; the Biennale Foundation said it will appeal and argued the grant supported film activities unrelated to Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized the move as part of attempts to “cancel” Russian culture abroad.

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