Ukrainian Pavilion Public Programme at the 60th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia
Публічна програма Українського павільйону на 59-й міжнародній мистецькій виставці Венеційській бієнале
Photo by Denys Melnyk for GAIA-24. Opera del Mondo by Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumeiko
The public programme focuses on Earth and Water as powerful symbols representing urgent global issues, including wartime experiences, ecological disasters, water and air pollution, migration, displacement, and disparities in food security and aims to explore the profound impact of these challenges on cultures worldwide and seek solutions for a sustainable future.
October 26, 2024
The second block of the public programme, going even deeper in two main themes: Earth and Water.
- Gaia – 24. Opera del mondo, performance by Opera Aperta
A contemporary geohistorical opera, and music theatre piece, which turns a theatre building structure into a temple for Earth. Starting as a documentation process of the explosion of Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023 and following human and ecological catastrophe, GAIA-24 as an idea was reborn into an opera. It combines a transformative landscape, human body and theatre stage into an open-ended music-theatrical process-ritual.
Time: 18:00 CET
Location: Ocean Space Chiesa di San Lorenzo Castello 5069
Duration: 90 min
- Conversations on Earth and Water
A discussion on the cultural ramifications and global challenges associated with water, and discuss how artists can combine issues that connect water, memory and artistic practices.
Moderator: Tetyana Filevska, Creative Director of the Ukrainian Institute
Speakers: Marta Czyż, curator of the Polish Pavilion on 60 Biennale di Venezia, Illia Razumeiko, opera composer, Markus Reymann, Co-Director of TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary.
Time: 19:45 CET
Location: Ocean Space Chiesa di San Lorenzo Castello 5069
Duration: 45 min
The seats are limited. Please fill out the short form to be added to the waiting list. We’ll let you know when a spot becomes available.
Organised by
The public programme is organised by the Ukrainian Institute in partnership with Ukrainian pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, Goethe-Institut Ukraine, ERSTE Foundation, TBA21–Academy’s Ocean Space, and OPERA APERTA — laboratory for contemporary opera, and supported by Museums for Ukraine initiative.
Organised by
The public programme is organised by the Ukrainian Institute in partnership with Ukrainian pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, Goethe-Institut Ukraine, ERSTE Foundation, TBA21–Academy’s Ocean Space, and OPERA APERTA — laboratory for contemporary opera, and supported by Museums for Ukraine initiative.
October 27, 2024
- Making It Obvious: a follow-up publication on Ukrainian Pavilion Public Programme in 2022
The event unites organisers and participants from Decolonizing Art: Beyond the Obvious — a Ukrainian Pavilion public program at the 59th Venice Biennale. It aims to assess the program’s influence on the international art scene, explore the significant relationship between the Ukrainian Pavilion and the Venice Biennale, and announce the publication of the program’s findings.
Participants: Tetyana Filevska, Creative Director of the Ukrainian Institute; Olena Chervonik, art historian, curator, doctoral student at the University of Oxford; Lizaveta German, curator and art critic, co-founder of The Naked Room gallery (Kyiv); Angela Vettese, Associate Professor at the Iuav University in Venice, Faculty of Arts and Design (Italy).
Please complete our registration form to secure your place at the event.
Time: 11:00 CET
Location: Ocean Space, Chiesa di San Lorenzo Castello 5069
Duration: 60 min.
If you cannot join us but wish to pre-order the book, please follow our dedicated link for more information.
The publication Decolonizing Art: Beyond the Obvious was created by the Ukrainian Institute and ist publishing with the support of ЗMIN Foundation.
April, 2024
The first block of the public programme took place in April and included the following events:
Sailing Through Storms: Art's Response to Crisis
Discussion with Lia Dostlieva (artist, cultural anthropologist, essayist), Andrii Dostliev (visual artist, curator, photography researcher, anthropological illustrator), Viktoria Bavykina, Max Gorbatskyi (curators of the Ukrainian pavilion), Vid Simoniti (philosopher, art historian and lecturer at the University of Liverpool)
Moderator — Tetyana Filevska (Creative Director, Ukrainian Institute)
Topic: Explore the role of art amidst various crises, focusing on Ukraine’s wartime experiences, ecological disasters, migration, and more. Delve into how artists respond creatively to tumultuous times, shaping narratives, fostering resilience, and provoking reflection on societal challenges.
Follow the plants Performance by Alevtina Kakhidze
Driven by her great interest in the relationship between plants and humans, Ukrainian artist Alevtina Kakhidze invited audiences to the Follow the Plants performance. In an introductory lecture, she provided an insight into her research on stable plant systems such as steppes and prairies. In this context, she investigates the influence of ‘invasive’ and ‘tender’ plants on ecosystems and the role of humans therein from an artistic-philosophical perspective. The lecture followed with the practical training during which the participants can explore the local ecosystems.
Official opening of Ukrainian Pavilion at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia ‘Net Making’
Net Making is a group exhibition curated by Viktoria Bavykina and Max Gorbatskyi, which draws from the practice of collective weaving of camouflage nets as a metaphor for joint horizontal actions. The project commissioner is the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, represented by Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister for European Integration. The exhibition featured works by Katya Buchatska, Andrii Dostliev and Lia Dostlieva, Daniil Revkovskyi and Andrii Rachynskyi, and Oleksandr Burlaka, as well as the communities with whom the artists have worked together.
The first block of the public programme was organised by the Ukrainian institute in partnership with Ukrainian pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, TBA21–Academy’s Ocean Space, and OPERA APERTA — laboratory for contemporary opera, and supported by Museums for Ukraine initiative.