• Russian punk band Pussy Riot and Ukrainian feminist group Femen staged a protest at the opening of the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
  • Protesters chanted ‘Russian art is blood’ and ‘Disobedience’, wearing pink balaclavas and creating a cloud of pink, blue, and yellow smoke.
  • Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova said the only Russian art to be shown should be from dissidents who are in prison.
  • Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended Russia’s participation, accusing critics of intolerance and censorship.
  • Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli criticized Buttafuoco for reinstating Russia, calling him a ‘victim of a pacifist fantasy’.

Sources & Links