The Russian pavilion spoke about a possible refusal to participate in the Venice Biennale

The cancellation of Russia's participation in the Venice Biennale is not being considered. This was announced by the commissioner of the Pavilion of the Russian Federation, co-founder of Smart Art Anastasia Karneeva.

"We continue to prepare the project, while there are no cancellations and there can be no from our side," she told TASS.

Rector of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Alexander Ryzhinsky, whose project will also be presented at the biennale, said that work on the Russian project continues.

"We don't pay attention at all to this political noise that has nothing to do with real art. Rehearsals are underway, artists are waiting to meet with the audience, and we believe that this meeting will take place," he added.

As EADaily reported, Russia, on its own initiative, did not take part in the The Venice Biennale from 2021. The organizers of the exhibition recalled that the decision to close the Russian pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition in 2022 was made by the Commissioner and curator appointed by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation. In March 2024, Russia handed over its pavilion to Bolivia.

However, this year Russia is preparing to present the project "The Tree is rooted in the sky," in particular, it is dedicated to the idea that "politics exists in temporal dimensions, while cultures communicate in eternity."

Mikhail Shvydkoi, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, noted that the Biennale's management showed that it was "ready to look for a compromise so that the pavilion would remain open, of course, not wanting to jeopardize the work of the entire Venice Biennale."

In Kiev, Russia's return to the biennale caused a hysterical reaction. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a joint outraged statement. It calls on the organizers of the event to reconsider the decision on the return of the Russian Federation. The European Commission threatened that in case of Russia's participation they would withdraw funding for the biennale. According to the representative of the EC, the European Union provides the Biennale Foundation with a three-year grant of € 2 million for the filming of the film. In addition, the international art exhibition receives about € 19 million annually, mainly from the Italian government.