Anti-Kremlin punk group the Pussy Riot staged a protest outside the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale forcing to temporarily shut down.
Controversy has surrounded this years Biennale as the Russians have been allowed to participate for the first time since the war with Ukraine began.
'They're drinking vodka and champagne in their pavilion, soaked in the blood of Ukrainian children,' Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova said.
'It's not just tanks and drones, murder and rape in Ukraine. It's also culture, art, language...it's the way [Russia] tries to conquer the West and you guys just opened the doors to them,' she continued.
At the protest they set off smoke flares and put their fists in the air screaming 'Russia kills! Biennale exhibits!'.
A UK government spokesperson said in response to Russia competing at this event, 'The UK strongly opposes Russia's participation at the Venice Biennale. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine who have endured more than four years of illegal Russian aggression.'
'As a result we have made the decision not to have government ministers attend the Biennale this year.'
The Venice Biennale, 'has been for 130 years one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Established in 1895, La Biennale had an attendance of over 800,000 visitors at the Art Exhibition in 2022. The history of the La Biennale di Venezia dates back from 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organized,'it says of the Evenice Biennale Website.
In the 1930s new festivals were born: Music, Cinema, and Theatre (the Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first film festival in history). In 1980 the first International Architecture Exhibition took place, and in 1999 Dance made its debut at La Biennale.
The Biennale is held every two years in Venice.
Source: International Business Times UK
