Finland has become the first country to reduce its participation in the Venice Biennale after Russia announced its own project for the first time since the start of a full-scale war with Ukraine.
This is what ARTnews wrote The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture announced. The Ministry stressed that Russia, in its opinion, should not participate in the Biennale “as long as the Russian aggression against Ukraine continues.”
Finnish Minister of Culture and Education Mari-Lina Talvitie added that some officials will continue to go to the Biennale to support Finnish art and culture. However, there will be no official delegation from Finland to the Biennale. The exhibition in the Finnish pavilion is still planned.
Russia has not participated in the Biennale since the beginning of the comprehensive invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in 2022, and has not used its pavilion in Venice, but rather rented it.
At the biennale, which will be held in 2026 from May 9 to November 22, Russia is scheduled to present a series of vocal performances under the general title “The tree is rooted in the sky.”
The Biennale Foundation does not prevent Russia’s return. The Ukrainian authorities criticized this decision. The European Commission threatened to deprive the Venice Biennale of its grant, and culture ministers from 22 European countries wrote an open letter demanding that Russian participants not be allowed to attend the forum. However, the Biennale Foundation has not yet changed its decision.