The Biennale's organizing committee, headed by chairman Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, announced last week that Russia is once again welcome to the prestigious art exhibition, which opens on May 9.
The justification is that the exhibition is “an open institution that rejects all forms of exclusion or censorship of art”.
The European Commission strongly condemns the decision, which is “incompatible with the EU’s collective response to Russia’s brutal aggression.” In a press release, the EU commissioners responsible for democracy and culture wrote that Brussels will examine further measures, including the termination of an ongoing three-year grant worth 2 million euros.
