“
We are not in immediate danger, but the situation is critical and changing every minute.
Currently, we are not able to continue working on the pavilion project due to the danger to our lives
,” Ukrainian pavilion organizers announced in an Instagram post on Thursday, February 24.
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"
We are determined to represent Ukraine at the 59th Venice Biennale, but not everything depends on us
", reminded the organizing team composed of Lizaveta German, Maira Lanko, Borys Filonenko and the artist Pavlo Makov.
The publication clarifies that this post is not a press release from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture but a statement by the organizers.
At dawn on Thursday, February 24, Russian armed troops launched an offensive on Ukraine.
The whole country suffered the strikes orchestrated by the Kremlin, like the capital Kiev under the fire of the bombardments.
For this 59th edition of the Venice Biennale, which will take place from April 23 to November 27, the Ukrainian pavilion plans to recreate the work
The Fountain of Exhaustion
, by the artist Pavlo Makov.
This mural installation first created in 1995 was to represent "
the absence of vitality in society after the Soviet Union
", explained the artist to the site dedicated to the international art market
artnet
.
Although he was born in Saint Petersburg, Pavlo Makov claims to be a Ukrainian artist.
According to the same source, this 3 square meter work made up of 78 bronze funnels was to be sent to Italy within two weeks.
A calendar upset by the Russian invasion.
“
We call on the international artistic community to use all our influence to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine
,” concluded the Ukrainian pavilion team.
