Pussy Riot protest at the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

Activists opposed Russia’s return to the exhibition and declared support for Ukraine and political prisoners

Activists from the group Pussy Riot held a rally on May 6 at the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale . They opposed Russia's participation in the largest exhibition of contemporary art, as well as in support of Ukraine, Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian prisoners.

Participants burned pink, yellow and blue smoke bombs and chanted: “Russian art is blood.” The same phrases were written on their bodies.

The activists held posters with the inscriptions: “Enjoy the show, ignore the war,” “Curated by Putin, corpses included,” and “Art on display, graves below.”

According to the publication "That's So", the protesters tried to enter the Russian pavilion , but people in uniform did not let them inside.

In order not to miss new texts from “Layout”, subscribe to our telegram channel

Russia returned to the Biennale after a break due to the war with Ukraine

Russia is taking part in the Venice Biennale for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Before this, the Russian pavilion either remained closed or was not used for a national project. For example, in 2024 it was rented to Bolivia, and in 2025 it was provided for an event by the British architect Thomas Heatherwick.

The Russian project was called " The tree is rooted in the sky ." Its format differs from the usual exhibition: it is a series of sound performances that take place from May 6 to 8 for invited guests and accredited journalists. The project is coordinated by the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music.

The commissioner of the pavilion since 2021 is Anastasia Karneeva, co-founder of Smart Art and daughter of Rostec deputy director Nikolai Volobuev. Another co-founder of the company is Ekaterina Vinokurova, the daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Representative for International Cultural Cooperation of the Russian President, previously claimed that Russia “never left the Biennale,” but in fact, since 2022, the country has not presented a full-fledged national project there.

In order not to miss new texts from “Layout”, subscribe to our telegram channel

Criticism of Russian participation

The decision to allow Russia to participate drew sharp criticism from Ukraine, EU representatives and parts of the Russian emigrant art community. The European Commission said that Moscow’s participation may contradict the sanctions regime, and warned of a possible reduction in funding for the biennale, threatening to withdraw a grant of 2 million euros. The Italian authorities emphasized that the exhibition operates “absolutely independently” of the position of Rome.

Co-founder of Pussy Riot Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, announcing the action, said that the Russian pavilion is not an embassy, ​​does not have diplomatic status and is not considered sovereign territory of Russia. According to her, the authorities of Italy, Venice and the Biennale itself could, if they wanted, refuse Russia to participate.

“Pussy Riot is going to the Biennale with an alternative, protest statement, so as not to burn with shame: we want to express unconditional support for Ukraine, the victims of Russian war crimes, Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian prisoners. Russia’s best citizens are either imprisoned for anti-war gestures or killed while Europe opens its doors to Putin’s officials and propagandists,” Tolokonnikova wrote on the social network X.

Critics of Russian participation also point out that the very structure of the Venice Biennale with national pavilions allows states to use art as a tool for cultural diplomacy and the promotion of political narratives. In the case of Russia, opponents of its return believe, the pavilion could become a way to normalize Russian state policy on the international cultural platform.

Previously, “Layout” wrote that the European Commission deprived the Venice Biennale of 2 million euros due to Russia’s participation. Brussels condemned the admission of the Russian pavilion and called on Italy to intervene.

Photo: Pussy Riot action at the Venice Biennale, Italy, May 6, 2026. SGP/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

You can support “Layout” from any country in the world - it is still safe and very important. We really need your support now