Izvestia showed the atmosphere of the opening ceremony of the 61st Venice Biennale

The opening ceremony of the 61st Venice Biennale is attended by representatives of 110 countries. This was announced on May 6 by journalist Evgeny Utkin, the opening footage is published by Izvestia.

He stressed that despite attempts to prevent the participation of the Russian delegation, the Russian pavilion will still open, but its work may be limited. In this case, the exhibition will be seen only by critics and representatives of the press, and it will be closed to a wide audience.

"The Russian pavilion is also opening today, but it is not known what will happen next. It will probably close in three days. For now, the exhibition is open to professionals and the press, and from May 9, it will be open to everyone," Utkin said.

According to one of the visitors, Evelyn, if we exclude Russia, then we should think about other countries — for example, the United States "with its imperialist power" and Israel. At the same time, the girl questioned the logic of providing a platform to one and rejecting others.

In turn, another visitor, Adelina, added that it is pleasant to watch when creative people get together.

"Everyone is very open, and, of course, it's great when all countries gather. It seems to me that the biennale should be a place where no one is banned, because it seems to me that prohibitions are somehow terrible, and even more so in art," she concluded.

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On this day, members of the European Commission (EC) accused Italy of disrespecting the values of the European Union (EU) in connection with Russia's participation in the Venice Biennale. Official letters have been sent to the organizers of the event and the Italian government stating that the Venice Biennale "will violate EU sanctions if it includes the Russian pavilion in the exhibition."

The Corriere della Sera newspaper reported on May 3 that the Russian pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale would be closed to the general public due to anti-Russian sanctions.