Russian director Alexander Sokurov withdraws from Venice Biennale after activists’ open letter calls his participation a staged performance

Alexander Sokurov’s appearance at the Venice Biennale did not take place. The Russian director had been invited to a conference called “Dissent and Peace,” but, as the biennale’s press office announced, he was unable to participate due to “sudden unavailability.” On the eve of the biennale, Russian and Italian cultural figures and activists addressed an open letter to the exhibition’s leadership. They called the closed-door “Dissent and Peace” discussion series — to which Sokurov had been invite...