‘Exclusion can only satisfy the ego’: Venice Biennale president hits out at critics amid Russia and Israel controversy

Venice Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the event against critics on 6 May at a conference at Teatro Piccolo dell’Arsenale, accusing opponents of “narcissism” and “censorship” amid controversy over Russia and Israel’s participation. He argued that if the Biennale selected works based on “passports,” it would cease to be a place “where the world comes together,” and noted that “Ukraine and Russia are represented at the Biennale Gardens today.” Russia’s participation for the first time since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted Italy’s culture minister Alessandro Giuli to send inspectors to examine whether Biennale management breached sanctions; the resulting report was submitted to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office (Palazzo Chigi) and published by media outlets. The minutes also state the Biennale was evaluating how to respond to a damages request from lawyers for Israeli representative Belu Simon Fainaru after the jury’s decision to exclude countries whose leaders are under International Criminal Court arrest warrants for crimes against humanity, a controversy that preceded the jury’s resignation.

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