Over 4,000 Artists, Academics and Political Leaders Oppose Russian Participation in the 61st Venice Biennale

Open letter from Arts Against Aggression gathers over 4,000 signatures in 48 hours on Change.org

VENICE, Italy, March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 4,000 artists, curators, journalists, academics and political figures have signed an open letter from the Arts Against Aggression International Movement to the Venice Biennale in less than 48 hours of its launch on Change.org.

The letter (at https://c.org/Bq9qzBBTJX ) raises concerns about the announced participation of the Russian Federation in the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which opens in May. Russia was banned from the Biennale in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The letter was submitted to Biennale management this morning.

Among the signatories are Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament; Viktor Yushchenko, the third President of Ukraine; Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, Chair, TBA21, Venice, Madrid; Garry Kasparov, political activist, former World Chess Champion, USA; Piotr M. A. Cywiński, Director, Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, Poland; Anne Applebaum, journalist and historian, USA; and Timothy Garton Ash, author and professor, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

The letter recalls that in March 2022 the Biennale publicly condemned Russia's invasion and stated it would refuse collaboration with official delegations, institutions or individuals connected to the Russian government while the situation persisted. According to the signatories, the newly announced Russian state pavilion raises questions about how that commitment is being upheld.

The statement also highlights the war's devastating impact on Ukraine's cultural community. Ukrainian artists, writers and cultural workers have been killed, while museums, archives, libraries and heritage sites across the country have been damaged or destroyed. The Arts Against Aggression International Movement warns that presenting a Russian state pavilion under these circumstances risks normalizing aggression and instrumentalizing culture for political purposes.

"For decades, the Venice Biennale has symbolized artistic freedom, dialogue and international exchange," the letter states. "It should remain a place where art illuminates truth, memory and responsibility rather than serving as a vehicle for propaganda."

The letter also raises concerns about the political context surrounding the pavilion's return. Russia's participation was announced by Mikhail Shvydkoi, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, who stated that culture is above politics.

"In the case of contemporary Russia, this formula has become a political instrument used to promote aggression and advance state agendas while disguising them behind the language of cultural exchange and dialogue," the letter states.

Additional questions are raised about the listed commissioner of the Russian Pavilion, Anastasia Karneeva. Publicly available information indicates connections between Karneeva and Rostec, a state-owned defence conglomerate closely linked to Russia's military-industrial complex.

The Arts Against Aggression International Movement calls on the leadership of the Venice Biennale and the international art community to openly address the implications of this participation and reaffirm the ethical principles articulated in 2022.

The full open letter invites artists, curators, scholars and cultural workers worldwide to join the initiative and stand in solidarity with those whose lives, cultures and histories are threatened by war.

Notes to Editors:

About Arts Against Aggression International Movement:

Arts Against Aggression International Movement is a global network of artists, cultural workers, scholars and institutions advocating for ethical responsibility in the cultural sphere and opposing the use of art and culture to legitimize aggression, authoritarianism, and imperial domination.