Anger as Russia returns to the Venice Biennale in 'politics camouflaged as art'

With Ukraine exhibiting a deer sculpture rescued from attacks in Donetsk, a new frontline has now opened in the battle over Russia's cultural rehabilitation, reports Evan Moffitt

- Evan Moffitt

The Venice Biennale, often referred to as the "Olympics of art", is an Aperol-soaked festival where, every two years, dozens of countries mount exhibitions along yacht-lined canals.

Like the Olympics, it is also a microcosm of geopolitics - and as the 61st edition prepares to open in May, a new frontline has opened in the battle over Russia's cultural rehabilitation.On 4 March, the Venice Biennale foundation announced that the Russian Federation would be organising an exhibit this year in its historic, pistachio-green pavilion in the Giardini park for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The announcement came one week after the four-year anniversary of the invasion and coincided with Russia's return to the Paralympic Games in Cortina, just 150km away.

The exhibition, titled The Tree is Rooted in the Sky, will feature 38 artists mainly from Russia but also several from Africa and Latin America. Its commissioner, Anastasia Karneeva — the daughter of a former general of the FSB state security service, and current executive at the state defence firm Rostec - runs a company called Smart Art with the daughter of Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

“Through the meeting of different cultures, the project aims to create a space for dialogue and exchange,” a statement on the pavilion’s Instagram reads, “generating new artistic perspectives and strengthening a sense of international community.”