In perhaps the first political fall-out of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Venice Art Biennale, the curator and artists associated with the Russian pavilion at this year’s exhibition have resigned.
Raimundas Malašauskas, the Lithuanian-born curator of the Russian pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition along with Russian visual artists Alexandra Sukhareva and Kirill Savchenkov announced their resignations from creating the pavilion, citing their objection to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
In his Instagram post, Malašauskas wrote: “My admiration and gratitude remain with the Russian artists Alexandra Sukhareva and Kirill Savchenkov, with whom I have been working to develop the project for the biennale. However, I cannot advance on working on this project in light of Russia's military invasion and bombing of Ukraine.”
"This war is politically and emotionally unbearable. As you know, I was born and formed in Lithuania when it was part of the Soviet Union. I have lived through the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1989 and have witnessed and enjoyed my country’s development ever since. The idea of going back to or forward with living under a Russian or any other empire is simply intolerable,” he added.
Russian artist Savchenkov also posted his resignation on Instagram. “There is nothing left to say, there is no place for art when civilians are dying under the fire of missiles, when citizens of Ukraine are hiding in shelters, when Russian protesters are getting silenced,” he wrote.
“As a Russian-born, I won't be presenting my work at Russian pavilion at Venice Biennale.”
Expressing their support for the curator and artists, the Russian Pavilion stated: “The Russian Pavilion is a home for artists, art and creatives. We have worked closely with the artists and curator from day one on this project and have waited for their independent decisions, which we respect and support above all.”
“Kirill Savchenkov, Alexandra Sukhareva and Raimundas Malašauskas have just announced that they will not be part of the Russian Pavilion project at the 59th Venice Biennale and consequently the Russian Pavilion will remain closed.”
In an official statement, La Biennale di Venezia said that “it will collaborate in every way with the National Participation of Ukraine in the 59th International Art Exhibition to ensure the presence of the artist and his team with his work, which he is strongly committed to complete despite the tragic situation in Ukraine”.
“La Biennale di Venezia intends thereby to manifest its full support to the Ukrainian people and to its artists, and express its firm condemnation of the unacceptable military aggression by Russia.
“As long as this situation persists, La Biennale rejects any form of collaboration with those who on the contrary have carried out or supported such a grievous act of aggression, and will therefore not accept the presence at any of its events of official delegations, institutions or persons tied in any capacity to the Russian government.”
Image credit: Marco Cappelletti
