Venice Biennale Head Slams EU For Pulling Funding Over Russia Invite

Venice Biennale Foundation President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco hit out at the European Commission on Thursday for its move to withdraw funding over Russia’s participation in its Art Biennale earlier this year.

Speaking in opening remarks of the press conference unveiling the lineup for 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival, Buttafuoco suggested the European Commission was “abandoning” the Biennale and its different chapters.

“They are abandoning us today because of a political decision, certainly not a legal decision, and certainly not a cultural decision. They are abandoning us in our journey, but La Biennale cannot accept that,” he said.

His comments follow an announcement earlier this week by the European Commission’s Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) that it was following through with a threat to end €2M ($2.3M) grant in response to the Biennale’s invite to Russia to participate in the Art Biennale.

The Biennale responded in a statement that it would lodge an appeal, noting that the withdrawn funds were not used for the Art Biennale but rather the activities of its Cinema Department, and in particular its Biennale College and the Venice Production Bridgeinitiatives.

The stand-off began with the opening of the Art Biennale in April, which was marked by protests over Russia’s return and the resignation of the international jury.

The European Union’s head of foreign policy Kaja Kallas said at the time that the invite to Russia violated EU sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent ongoing war.

Continuing his rebuttal at the film festival press conference, Buttafuoco said bowing to the EU’s demands would fly in the face of the Biennale’s principles.

“We would renounce our principles of freedom of expression, of research, fantasy, imagination, values that for 131 years have been characterized this institution,” he said.

Referring to the fable of The Wolf & the Lamb, Buttafuoco detailed three letters the European Commission had sent to the Biennale, suggesting the European Union was tantamount to the wolf, and the Cinema Department to the lamb.

“In the third letter, the wolf simply eats the lamb,” he said.