LACK OF FUNDING MAY KEEP SCOTLAND OUT OF VENICE BIENNALE

Scotland’s presence at this summer’s Venice Biennale is under threat because less than half the funding required has been raised, William Lyons reports in The Scotsman. Two years ago Scotland dazzled the Biennale with its first pavilion independent of the British Pavilion. Then the Scottish Executive funded the project to the tune of £400,000 ($760,000). But sources close to this year’s Scottish Pavilion say the Executive has no plans to underwrite the cost of the project and there is no guarantee that the sum will be met. One source said: “Less than half the projected funding is in place. . . . This is a very serious problem.”