Venice Biennale Will Persist To Keep Ukrainian Pavilion Standing At Event

Organizers of the Venice Biennale, one of the most famed art exhibitions in the world, have pledged that the Ukrainian pavilion will proceed at the event as planned.

As Ukraine continues to battle against the Russian invasion, which has seen major cities shelled and millions of refugees fleeing the country. Artists working on the exhibition, including Pavlo Makov, have been forced to halt preparations.

Furthermore, it’s unclear how the Ukrainian team will get to Italy, considering all flights to and from Kyiv have been grounded. 

“We are not in immediate danger, but the situation is critical and changes every minute. Presently, we are not able to continue working on the project of the pavilion due to the danger to our lives,” Makov, along with curators Lizaveta German, Maria Lanko, and Borys Filonenko, said on Twitter.

Artforum reported that biennale officials have promised to be “collaborating and will collaborate in every way” to ensure the pavilion does happen, though no details have been revealed just yet.

“La Biennale di Venezia intends thereby to manifest its full support to the Ukrainian people and to its artists, and express its firm condemnation of the unacceptable military aggression by Russia,” the organizers said.

[via ARTnews and Artforum, cover image via Navarone | Dreamstime.com]