The Fort Worth Press - Ukraine war steals the show at Venice Art Biennale

USD -
AED 3.672995
AFN 71.988544
ALL 95.449703
AMD 398.831079
ANG 1.794237
AOA 914.49558
ARS 1040.245013
AUD 1.612201
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.702915
BAM 1.898817
BBD 2.010058
BDT 120.959991
BGN 1.89694
BHD 0.376906
BIF 2945.171234
BMD 1
BND 1.363656
BOB 6.879545
BRL 6.045499
BSD 0.995515
BTN 86.155474
BWP 14.012349
BYN 3.257995
BYR 19600
BZD 1.999767
CAD 1.43467
CDF 2834.999727
CHF 0.911799
CLF 0.036463
CLP 1006.130245
CNY 7.331698
CNH 7.3438
COP 4286.45
CRC 501.735395
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 107.052359
CZK 24.476027
DJF 177.278111
DKK 7.23934
DOP 60.901434
DZD 135.829734
EGP 50.428302
ERN 15
ETB 126.303383
EUR 0.97027
FJD 2.32785
FKP 0.823587
GBP 0.81824
GEL 2.839658
GGP 0.823587
GHS 14.84982
GIP 0.823587
GMD 71.495747
GNF 8656.00035
GTQ 7.678566
GYD 208.279531
HKD 7.787415
HNL 25.480135
HRK 7.379548
HTG 129.96835
HUF 398.58395
IDR 16363.75
ILS 3.639305
IMP 0.823587
INR 86.39235
IQD 1310
IRR 42087.501041
ISK 140.430148
JEP 0.823587
JMD 155.908837
JOD 0.709301
JPY 156.986497
KES 129.49759
KGS 87.449296
KHR 4040.999487
KMF 478.224983
KPW 900.000111
KRW 1459.095029
KWD 0.30855
KYD 0.829604
KZT 527.888079
LAK 21820.000136
LBP 89549.999708
LKR 293.237025
LRD 186.666278
LSL 18.940026
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.955019
MAD 10.066987
MDL 18.716323
MGA 4704.999781
MKD 59.672618
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3398.000107
MOP 7.983612
MRU 39.919949
MUR 46.819994
MVR 15.404993
MWK 1736.000174
MXN 20.487685
MYR 4.499012
MZN 63.901212
NAD 18.939881
NGN 1554.999759
NIO 36.729898
NOK 11.357005
NPR 137.84714
NZD 1.782595
OMR 0.384992
PAB 0.995524
PEN 3.773499
PGK 3.961945
PHP 58.602996
PKR 278.649758
PLN 4.137412
PYG 7844.507874
QAR 3.64075
RON 4.827955
RSD 113.663984
RUB 102.637514
RWF 1386.38
SAR 3.752861
SBD 8.475185
SCR 14.355191
SDG 600.99993
SEK 11.155305
SGD 1.36743
SHP 0.823587
SLE 22.697106
SLL 20969.49992
SOS 571.496993
SRD 35.104992
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.710595
SYP 13001.999985
SZL 18.939713
THB 34.710499
TJS 10.881351
TMT 3.5
TND 3.219908
TOP 2.342097
TRY 35.485055
TTD 6.759158
TWD 32.986501
TZS 2525.000512
UAH 42.080057
UGX 3679.575926
UYU 43.776274
UZS 12913.46686
VES 54.010413
VND 25385
VUV 118.722008
WST 2.800827
XAF 636.839091
XAG 0.033336
XAU 0.000372
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.767364
XOF 638.501028
XPF 118.999866
YER 249.014981
ZAR 18.87477
ZMK 9001.190302
ZMW 27.601406
ZWL 321.999592
  • RIO

    0.4450

    60.825

    +0.73%

  • BTI

    -0.3200

    35.4

    -0.9%

  • SCS

    0.2700

    11.51

    +2.35%

  • BP

    0.0920

    31.182

    +0.3%

  • BCC

    3.9100

    127.52

    +3.07%

  • CMSD

    0.0790

    23.279

    +0.34%

  • GSK

    0.6920

    32.772

    +2.11%

  • NGG

    1.4500

    57.72

    +2.51%

  • BCE

    0.1700

    22.71

    +0.75%

  • AZN

    0.1500

    65.52

    +0.23%

  • JRI

    0.0935

    12.19

    +0.77%

  • RBGPF

    -1.3300

    60.67

    -2.19%

  • VOD

    0.1840

    8.434

    +2.18%

  • RELX

    0.7520

    46.832

    +1.61%

  • CMSC

    0.2450

    23.125

    +1.06%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0400

    6.91

    -0.58%

Ukraine war steals the show at Venice Art Biennale
Ukraine war steals the show at Venice Art Biennale / Photo: © AFP

Ukraine war steals the show at Venice Art Biennale

Pavlo Makov fled Russia's invasion with almost nothing but is proud to represent Ukraine at this year's Venice Biennale, which raises questions about the role of art at a time of war.

Text size:

"I feel myself much more a citizen of Ukraine than an artist from this country," the 63-year-old told AFP ahead of the opening this weekend of one of the world's most prestigious art exhibitions.

He added: "I'm simply doing something that I have to do. It's like a duty."

Back after a pandemic-induced break, the 59th edition of the Biennale has been overshadowed by the war in Ukraine.

Organisers banned Moscow's representatives in protest at the invasion, while Ukraine's national exhibit only made it here after being whisked out of Kyiv on the day Russian troops crossed the border.

Makov's installation comprises 78 light blue funnels mounted on a triangle through which water flows, slowing as it travels downwards to drip slowly into the collecting basin, echoing in the otherwise silent space.

He describes his work, "The Fountain of Exhaustion", as "a metaphor for contemporary life".

"I don't think art can change the world. But art can help us to survive," he said.

Makov sees as unavoidable Russia's exclusion from the Biennale, where 58 countries are represented in national pavilions showcasing 213 individual artists.

"The dialogue with Russian culture we have now has only one place, at the front," he said.

- No place for art -

The funnels for his work were brought from Kyiv by curator Maria Lanko, who left the Ukrainian capital when Russia invaded on February 24 and drove for six days through Romania, Hungary and Austria to Italy.

The 35-year-old had been preparing for war, although she had to leave behind the massive base of Makov's installation.

"We kind of joked, saying: 'Okay, if ever something starts we can put those boxes in a private car and take them out'," she told AFP.

In the nearby Giardini, the halls of the Biennale's Russian pavilion are empty.

The curator and artists resigned following the invasion, with artist Kirill Savchenkov saying "there is no place for art when civilians are dying".

Organisers of the Biennale praised the move and subsequently banned anyone linked to the Russian government from the entire event, joining a global cultural boycott of Moscow over the war.

They also financed the reconstruction of Makov's artwork.

"It is definitely due to this solidarity (that) we have this project finished here," he said.

Makov himself left Ukraine with his family -- including his 92-year-old mother. They are currently in Austria.

Packing in haste, initially "I only took documents and money", he said.

But then came the thought that "I may not be able to have shower in the next coming week... So you take underwear with you and the pair of jeans and that's it."

- Turmoil of history -

The Biennale, which is open to the public from April 23 to November 27, was due to take place in 2021 but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

This year's edition -- the theme of which is "The Milk of Dreams" -- is curated by Italian Cecilia Alemani, who has ensured there is a majority of women and non-binary artists.

"In the 57 editions of the Biennale, except for the last one, there has been a great preponderance of male artists. This is why I wanted to rebalance the history," the 45-year-old told AFP.

Looking to the Ukraine conflict, Alemani said she appreciated the Russian team's decision to resign rather than "have that brand for the rest of their lives".

She added: "It is also the role of the Biennale ... to record the turmoil of history."

In this spirit, Alemani announced the launch of "Piazza Ucraina" (Ukraine Square), a space designed for meditation, discussions and performances.

It is marked by a mountain of sandbags, similar to those erected around statues in Ukraine to protect them from attack.

H.M.Hernandez--TFWP