All is quiet at the Russian Pavilion, which sparked controversy at the Venice Art Biennale on the opening day of the 61st Exhibition, May 9th. The Moscow government's Liberty-style building is closed, and three monitors are displayed on the glass wall, showing artists' performances, primarily musical performances featuring ancestral sounds and dance, recorded during the four days leading up to the opening by invitation of journalists and industry professionals.
The Russian Pavilion, visited yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, will remain closed for the duration of the Biennale, until November 22nd. Outside, it is under police surveillance, but for now, all is quiet, with no protests from visitors and no gatherings. People who stop by are taking selfies and appear somewhat disoriented as they look at the monitors, which display a description of the project in Russian, English, and Italian.
"We wanted to fill the space with situations like dance, learning, listening, and the shy exchange of glances," the museum explains. "We're addressing an ideal, impossible visitor. Stay for hours, absorb the details, decipher our enigmas," reads the sign on the glass entrances.
The Pavilion of Discord, whose opening was criticized by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, who sent inspectors and skipped the May 9th inauguration, ultimately remained open for only four days. The European Union also issued warnings, threatening to suspend the €2 million funding for the Venice Biennale. The matter is still pending, and the EU Commission is awaiting a response from the Foundation, whose submission deadline is May 11th.
The controversy never subsided, reaching a fever pitch during the official pre-opening ceremony, attended by Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexey Paramanov and Commissioner Anastasia Karneeva, who also threw a bottle of milk and a slice of parmesan cheese. Peace reigns today at the Pavilion, but outside the gates, a new protest is raging in the Giardini, called by various radical groups attacking the President of the Pietrangelo Buttafuoco Foundation and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who supports Russian participation in the Biennale. "No freedom with Putin," they shout. "Ukraine will win, this exhibition is a shameful chapter in the 21st century."
(Unioneonline)
