Biennale 2026: are national pavillions still state of the art?
There has been huge pushback against the official participation of Russia and Israel at this year's Venice Biennale. The jury of the Golden Lion all resigned, and the EU withdrew two billion euros worth of funding. The Russian pavillion was forced to temporarily close during a protest by the feminist protest groups Pussy Riot and Femen. Voices in the press are divided.
Russia is more than its regime
In a Telegram post picked up by Echo, exiled opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov hopes better times will come for the Russian pavillion:
“Some say it is wrong to protest against the pavillion. That this 'mirrors' Putin's behaviour and is basically Russophobic. That is not the case at all. It is critical to separate country and state. In the case of the pavilion, the state has brought the country under its control. ... A state which is waging a war and is literally killing culture, locking people up in prisons, driving them out of the country or forcing them to make degrading deals. ... And as for the pavillion. ... I am sure that the day will come when it opens again without there being protests in front of it.”
Bad protest is counterproductive
The protesters achieved the opposite of what was written on their banners, journalist and curator Anna Narinskaya argues on Facebook:
“This is bad protest. Can protest be bad? Yes, when its form completely undermines its declared content. ... So this was a failed action. In every respect. ... It makes me want to ask Pussy Riot: 'Why is your work so repetitive?' ... Instead of the intended 'humiliation' of the Russian pavilion, the opposite happened. They put it in the limelight and turned it into a news story.”
End this geopolitical puppet show
The whole concept of the Biennale needs rethinking, argues Politiken:
“Given how many countries with their own pavilions are waging war or occupying neighbouring countries, and given the significance of these pavilions, it is perhaps time to rethink the whole concept of Venice. ... It is against this backdrop that the Biennale is so politically charged. Many national pavilions function as cultural embassies in which countries take part in a geopolitical puppet show through their 'art'. Under the guise of lofty slogans about peace, dialogue and cultural exchange they attempt to gain legitimacy and symbolic normalisation through 'art'. The Biennale needs a revamp.”