Venice Biennale chief blasts EU funding cut over Russia row
Pietrangelo Buttafuoco said the European Commission was abandoning the Biennale after Russia’s return to the Art Biennale triggered a grant withdrawal.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Venice Biennale Foundation president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco used the Venice Film Festival lineup press conference on Thursday to take aim at the European Commission over a funding fight sparked by Russia’s presence at the Art Biennale.
According to Deadline, Buttafuoco criticized the Commission during opening remarks for the announcement of the 83rd Venice Film Festival program, saying the move to pull support was political rather than cultural or legal.
“They are abandoning us today because of a political decision, certainly not a legal decision, and certainly not a cultural decision,” Buttafuoco said, according to Deadline. “They are abandoning us in our journey, but La Biennale cannot accept that.”
Grant pulled after Russia invite
The dispute centers on a €2 million, or about $2.3 million, grant. Deadline reported that the European Commission’s Education and Culture Executive Agency announced earlier this week it would carry out a previous threat to end the funding because Russia had been invited to take part in the Art Biennale.
The Biennale has said it plans to appeal the decision. In its response, the organization said the money at issue was not directed to the Art Biennale, but to work under its Cinema Department, particularly Biennale College and Venice Production Bridge initiatives.
The clash dates back to the April opening of the Art Biennale, when Russia’s return drew protests. Deadline reported that the international jury also resigned amid the controversy.
At the time, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia’s invitation violated EU sanctions imposed after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the continuing war, according to Deadline.
Buttafuoco invokes Biennale principles
Buttafuoco told reporters that accepting the EU position would mean cutting against the institution’s stated ideals. He framed the issue as a test of the Biennale’s role as a cultural body.
“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, according to Deadline.
He also referred to the fable “The Wolf and the Lamb” while discussing three letters sent by the European Commission to the Biennale. In his comparison, the European Union was the wolf and the Cinema Department was the lamb.
“In the third letter, the wolf simply eats the lamb,” Buttafuoco said, according to Deadline.
The confrontation places one of Europe’s best-known cultural institutions in a direct dispute with EU officials over sanctions, artistic participation and public funding. For the Biennale, the immediate battle is the lost grant and the promised appeal. For the Commission, the dispute remains tied to the broader sanctions regime adopted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.