Russian Galleries Withdraw from Liste to Make Way for Ukrainian Galleries

Two Russian galleries, Fragment and Osnova, both based in Moscow, have withdrawn from the Liste Art Fair in Basel (scheduled for June 13–19, 2022) and ceded their spots to Ukrainian galleries The Naked Room and Voloshyn Gallery, which will not have to pay participation fees. Some Eastern European galleries at Liste have offered to transport the Ukrainian galleries' artworks at their own expense. Liste director Joanna Kamm praised the decision as a strong and courageous statement of solidarity with Ukraine. No gallery at the fair will present works by Russian artists. This move follows broader cultural mobilization against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the Ukrainian Pavilion's suspension of preparations for the Venice Biennale (April 23–November 27, 2022), the resignation of the curator and artists of the Russian Pavilion, and the resignation of Elena Kovalskaya, director of the Vsevolod Meyerhold State Theater and Cultural Center in Moscow. The Venice Biennale officially stated it will collaborate with the Ukrainian National Participation and refuses collaboration with anyone supporting the aggression. Art Basel, which runs concurrently with Liste, condemned the invasion and stated it has no partnership agreements with Russian companies and no Russian galleries in its upcoming fairs, but does not discriminate by nationality and supports dissenting voices within the Russian art scene.