Pussy Riot Stage Protest Against Russian Pavilion at Venice Biennale Art Exhibition

Russian feminist protest music and performance art group Pussy Riot and members of Ukrainian feminist organisation FEMEN on Wed. staged a protest attempting to block the opening of the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale art exhibition.

Screaming slogans such as “Russia’s art is blood” and “Enjoy the Show – Ignore the War” and performing their “Disobey” song amid pink, blue and yellow smoke, the anti-Putin activist group reportedly managed to delay the opening of the pavilion for roughly 30 minutes as Italian police blocked the entrance to the site in the Venice Giardini area.

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Their Pussy Riot protest, which had been brewing for a while, comes amid growing unrest over a controversial decision by the Venice Biennale foundation, which also oversees the Venice Film Festival, to allow Russia’s participation in the first arts Biennale since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco has defended Russia’s inclusion of Russia, saying that Biennale art exhibition regulations state that any country that has relations with Italy has a right to be included. Russia pulled out of the 2022 edition of the arts Biennale after invading Ukraine War and did not attend the event in 2024. Buttafuoco has clashed over this decision with Italy’s government that has oversight over the Biennale foundation but has so far decided not to sack him.

It is unclear whether the same principle of including Russia will apply this year to the Venice Film Festival where so far the rule since the start of the Ukraine war has been not to accept films that have Russian government ties.

Russia’s participation in this year’s art Biennale may cost the foundation since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has cost the contemporary art fair € 2 million ($2.5 million) in European Union funding, though they are appealing the EU’s decision.

Last week the jury that awards the arts Biennale Golden Lion awards resigned in protest against Russia and Israel’s participation, stating they would not give awards to countries under investigation for human rights abuses by the International Criminal Court.