War dominates Ukraine’s pavilion at this year’s Venice Art Biennale. The “Security Guarantees” exhibition comments on the so-called Budapest settlement of 1994, when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from the USA and Great Britain. “These guarantees were intended to protect us. But they existed only on paper,” artist Zhanna Kadyrova said in a statement.
Already at the last Biennale in Venice In 2024, the Ukraine pavilion was all about war, with an exhibition on civilian preparedness efforts.
This year’s central work is Zhanna Kadyrova’s large concrete sculpture “Origami Deer,” which depicts a deer folded in paper. The history of the sculpture itself is linked to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. It was originally built in Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine but was moved in 2024 when Russian troops approached the city. Ahead of the Biennale, the sculpture will be exhibited in a number of European cities to commemorate the broken security guarantees.
Sweden is represented by Klara Kristalova, who is exhibiting in the Nordic Pavilion. The Venice Biennale opens on May 9th.
