Venice (Italy) (AFP) - The 61st Venice Biennale festival begins on Wednesday in an atmosphere of tension due to the participation of Russia, which has been absent from the event since 2022.

Published on: 05/06/2026 - 09:05

This is the first time since the invasion of Ukraine that Moscow has displayed an artistic project within the largest contemporary art exhibition in the world.

Other artists from countries at war, including Ukraine and Israel, will participate, while Iran announced its withdrawal from the event.

Since its announcement in early March, Russia's participation has sparked widespread anger, especially within the Italian government and the European Union, which threatened to withdraw a grant allocated to the event of two million euros.

In the latest developments, the festival's jury resigned on Thursday after announcing that it would exclude Russia and Israel from the awards due to the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants against their leaders on charges of committing war crimes.

Although the Russian pavilion will remain closed during the festival days designated for the public, which extend from May 9 to November 22, recorded musical performances will be broadcast on giant screens outside during the days designated for the press.

© 2026 AFP

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