Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska said on Monday that Poland would remain at the 61st International Art Exhibition in Venice, even after the event’s international jury resigned.
“We will be at the Biennale precisely because I cannot imagine a scenario in which we give up our place to Russia,” Cienkowska said in a statement sent to Polish state news agency (PAP).
She said she understood and respected the jury’s joint resignation.
The controversy concerns Russia’s return to the Venice Biennale after its absence from the 2022 and 2024 editions following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The decision has drawn criticism from European politicians, artists and cultural institutions.
Cienkowska said Poland had “a wonderful project by an excellent artistic team” for this year’s event. Poland will be represented by Liquid Tongues, an audio-video installation by Bogna Burska and Daniel Kotowski.
The work explores alternative forms of communication, including sign language, whale songs and marginalized languages. It will be displayed at the Polish Pavilion in Venice from May 9 to November 22.
"Liquid Tongues is bold and very contemporary," Cienkowska said. "It carries a strong message that effective communication requires goodwill on both sides, and that imposing conditions is the negation of dialogue, which is the foundation of art."
She added that she hoped the organizers of the Biennale would “hear this message.”
The minister said the organizers had done “an exceptional amount this year to squander the standing of the event, built up over many years.”
She welcomed what she called gestures from decision-makers and artists who were attempting "to behave decently in less than decent times”--quoting Belarusian dissident author of Polish descent Andrzej Poczobut.
The entire international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned after earlier announcing that it would not consider Russia and Israel for the main awards.
It said it would exclude countries whose leaders are currently accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of crimes against humanity.
Following the jury’s resignation, the official opening ceremony scheduled for May 9 was canceled. The awards ceremony was moved to November 22, the final day of the exhibition.
The Golden Lion and Silver Lion awards will not be presented this year. Instead, visitors will be able to vote for their favorites in a new public award.
The return of the Russian pavilion has been controversial since March, when Italian media reported that figures involved in organizing it had links to people close to the Kremlin.
The European Commission warned the Biennale Foundation that it could lose a EUR 2 million grant if it did not reverse its decision to allow Russia to participate.
Italy’s culture ministry also distanced itself from the decision and sent inspectors to the Biennale organizers to obtain more information about the reopening of the Russian pavilion.
Twenty-two government representatives, including Cienkowska, signed a joint protest calling on the Biennale to exclude Russia from the exhibition.
A separate protest letter argued that culture must not be used to mask aggression.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP