Italy Investigates Venice Biennale Organizers Over Russia's Return to Art Festival

Italy's Culture Ministry is investigating the organizers of the Venice Biennale, a prestigious art festival, after Russia was allowed to return to the event, Italian media reported on Wednesday. Many cultural institutions in the West have cut ties with Russia since February 2022 over the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin has condemned the campaign as a pointless attempt to "cancel" Russian culture. According to Corriere della Sera, inspectors were dispatched to the Biennale Foundation to examine documents and financial records related to the planned reopening of the Russian pavilion. Officials were also reportedly instructed to review documents related to the pavilions of Iran and Israel. Newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that the organizers had previously provided communications with Russian authorities to the Italian Culture Ministry, and that no "irregularities" were found in terms of compliance with sanctions imposed on Russia. The European Commission has condemned the decision to allow Russia to reopen its national pavilion, while Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said he would not attend the opening of the festival on May 9. Last week, the Biennale jury said it would exclude Russia and Israel from award consideration. Biennale Foundation chief Pietrangelo Buttafuoco pushed back against the criticism, comparing the institution to "the UN of art, from which no nation can be excluded." Some Italian politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, argued that the art sphere should not fall victim to politics. "I am not for the exclusion of anyone, so I invite the Biennale to go ahead," Salvini said, as quoted by Euronews.