Latvia issues statement against Russia's participation in Venice Biennale, backed by 22 countries
Latvia's Ministry of Culture has issued a statement calling for Russia's participation in the Venice Biennale to be reconsidered, and 22 countries have signed it.
Source: Latvia's Ministry of Culture
Details: The joint letter was addressed to Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of La Biennale di Venezia, to the Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia, and to Alessandro Giuli, Italy's Minister of Culture. The statement was signed by the culture and foreign ministers of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.
The ministers stressed that, for more than a century, the Venice Biennale has stood as a platform for artistic freedom and should therefore also bear a moral responsibility.
Quote from the joint statement: "Culture is not separate from the realities societies face. It shapes how people understand the world, what they value, and how they choose to act. Cultural institutions therefore carry not only artistic significance but also moral responsibility."
More details: The letter said Russian strikes destroyed or damaged museums, historic sites, monuments and other cultural institutions in Ukraine. It also noted that the Russian Federation remains subject to European and international sanctions, including in the cultural sphere, imposed over its violations of international law and Ukraine's sovereignty.
The statement also referred to artists and curators who left the Russian pavilion after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ministers said international cultural platforms must not be used to legitimise military aggression or undermine the system of international sanctions.
The European Commission has also urged the Venice Biennale to reconsider Russia's participation. In a statement on 10 March 2026, Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice-President, and Glenn Micallef, the Commissioner for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport warned that the EU Commission could suspend EU grant funding for the Venice Biennale if Russia is allowed to reopen its pavilion at this year's exhibition.
Quote from the EU Commission: "The European Commission has been clear in its stance concerning Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Culture promotes and safeguards democratic values, fosters open dialogue, diversity and freedom of expression, and should never be used as a platform for propaganda."
More details: PinchukArtCentre, a Ukrainian international centre for contemporary art, has also called on the organisers of the 61st Venice Biennale to deny Russia participation in the international contemporary art exhibition.
Italy's Ministry of Culture earlier issued a statement saying that the decision regarding Russia's participation in the 61st Venice Biennale had been made independently by the Biennale Foundation despite the government's position. The ministry noted that it does not support this decision.
Russia's participation in the 61st Venice Biennale
On 4 March, the Venice Biennale published the list of participating countries in the world's largest art exhibition, which included Russia. The Russian national pavilion will be titled The Tree is Rooted in the Sky, and its commissioner will be Anastasia Karneeva.
The Russian art consultant and contemporary art manager was appointed commissioner of the Russian pavilion in 2021 for the following eight years. However, Russia missed the Biennale twice, in 2022 and 2024.
Karneeva is the daughter of Nikolai Volobuyev, a retired general and deputy director of one of the largest defence corporations, Rostec. Previously, Volobuyev served as deputy head of Russia's Federal Customs Service and director for special assignments at Rosoboronexport. From 1975 to 2004, he served in the structures of the KGB of the USSR and later the FSB of Russia.
In 2014, Karneeva co-founded the art consulting company Smart Art together with Ekaterina Lavrova, the daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!