The Russian Pavilion, already a focal point for pro-Ukrainian protests at the 2026 Venice Biennale, has drawn fresh controversy after an Instagram post accusing the anti-Putin band and art collective, Pussy Riot, of censorship and self-censorship.
“Pussy Riot asked us to remove the footage featuring them from the documentary film about the project,” the Russian Pavilion wrote in an Instagram caption beneath an image, posted on Monday, bearing the words “Censored on request by Pussy Riot.”
The caption continued: “[Pussy Riot] wrote that they do not want their protests shown in the Pavilion … strange. We wanted to be honest and show what really happened, but it’s turning into pure self-censorship. Apparently they are unhappy with their own performance.”
Commenting directly on the post, Pussy Riot responded: “lol are you even allowed to use Instagram 🤡 you forgot this part – meta is an extremist org in russia since 2022,” referring to the Russian government’s 2022 ban of Instagram and Facebook after Meta, the platforms’ parent company, was designated an “extremist organization.” The move was widely understood as a response to criticism of Russian soldiers on the platforms following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.
Pussy Riot added, “btw which vpn did you use, or is this one of the perks of being in Italy??”
Ahead of the Biennale’s professional previews last week, the Russian Pavilion faced intense backlash from the international art and political communities, including threats by the European Union to withdraw funding for the the 2028 edition, claiming the Biennale was violating sanctions related to Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.
The full context behind the Russian Pavilion’s accusation of censorship against Pussy Riot remains unclear, though the “documentary film” appears to refer to the digital documentation scheduled to screen outside the pavilion for the remainder of the Biennale’s run. Amid mounting sanctions on Moscow, the pavilion’s team reportedly coordinated with Biennale organizers to open the presentation only during the preview period for live performances tied to the exhibition “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,” closing the pavilion during its public run, from May 9–November 22, and leaving instead films of the performances to screen on monitors installed in the building’s windows.
The plan did little to quell the controversy surrounding Russia’s participation. Dozens of protesters crashed the pavilion’s opening last Wednesday, chanting slogans including “Russia kills! Biennale exhibits!” Leading the demonstration was Nadya Tolokonnikova alongside other members of Pussy Riot. The dissident punk collective and art project joined forces with FEMEN, the Ukrainian activist group that describes itself as fighting patriarchy “in its three manifestations—sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship, and religion.”
The scene, as ARTnews wrote, “quickly took on something of the feel of a mosh pit at a punk concert”: protesters clad in the hot-pink balaclavas synonymous with Pussy Riot mingled with others who bared their breasts and sent plumes of yellow and blue smoke—the colors of the Ukrainian flag—into the Venice sky.
ARTnews has contacted representatives of Pussy Riot and the Venice Biennale for comment.
