On April 18, in Italy, the opening ceremony of the National Pavilion of Ukraine will take place as part of the 60th Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art. This year, Ukraine presents the project "Weaving Nets," curated by Victoria Burlaka and Max Horbatsch.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy on European Integration Taras Shevchenko will participate in the event as the commissioner of the national pavilion.
"The Venice Biennale is a significant aspect of cultural diplomacy: the most prestigious exhibition of contemporary art provides a platform for presenting Ukrainian art, which acquires new forms during the war. Through this creative path, we will once again address the urgent challenges in Ukraine," noted Taras Shevchenko.
The project's title, "Weaving Nets," comes from the practice of collective weaving of camouflage nets, widespread among Ukrainians in conditions of full-scale invasion. This act is explored as a symbol of collective resistance in the face of war.
The theme of the 60th Venice Biennale is "Everywhere Foreigners". The Ukrainian pavilion will address issues of otherness through personal experiences of war, emigration, assimilation into new societies, and the transformation of language under the pressure of Russian aggression.
"The Ukrainians are uniting: they take to the streets, volunteer to fight, gather to weave camouflage nets. Weaving nets is a process that encompasses more than just creating nets to aid the army. It's the realization of collective action, beneficial for everyone, and for the country as a whole. Such decisions don't come from the top down," commented the exhibition's curators on the project's title.
The Ukrainian pavilion is framed by the architectural installation "Work" by Oleksandr Burlaka: frames with woven linen canvases, made before the 1950s, are placed in a circle. The artist collected them at Ukrainian flea markets and online platforms.
Artists and exhibition partners will participate in the opening of the Ukrainian Pavilion.
