Cultural World Mobilizes Against Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, Elena Kovalskaya stepped down as the director of the Vsevolod Meyerhold State Theater in Moscow, citing her inability to work for a murderer. Actors at Moscow's Mayakovsky Theater were prohibited from speaking about the invasion. Semyon Bychkov, the music director of the Prague Philharmonic, expressed his disapproval of the assault. Teatro alla Scala in Milan insisted that Valery Gergiev distance himself from Putin or risk cancellation of his performances scheduled for March 5–13. On the same day, thousands gathered in Piazza della Scala. Carnegie Hall replaced Gergiev with Yannick Nézet-Séguin for three concerts. Italy's Ministry of Culture initiated the '#cultureunitestheworld' campaign. The Venice Biennale announced its 59th International Art Exhibition will commence on April 23, 2022, and MAXXI will donate proceeds from events on February 27 and March 6 to humanitarian causes.