ISTANBUL- Pia Bozyel – The war on Ukraine is a major turning point for the art world in 2022. What makes it all the more significant is the will of three Ukrainian artists who were determined to exhibit in this year’s 59th Venice Biennale, no matter what. This is precisely what makes this year’s biennale the place to be for those in the art world, global artists and those into art. The determination and sheer grit to get their installation through three countries to Venice in time to set up for their exhibition is what inspires the theme of the 2022 biennale.
The 59th Venice Biennale theme, entitled “Milk of Dreams” is curated by Cecilia Alemani who said: “As the first Italian woman to hold this position, I intend to give voice to artists to create unique projects that reflect their visions and our society.” She added that the theme for 2022 comes from the title of a book that reimagines life everchanging through the telescopic view of the imagination and personifies a world where anyone can change or transform to become whatever they desire.
True to this year’s theme, that is precisely what is envisioned for each art installation at the biennale where the core of the exhibition is comprised of conversations with artists that Alemani had in 2021, about their visions of the future. She revealed artists were primarily concerned with survival of the human race in the 21st century. As Venice Biennale President Roberto Cicutto said: “Today the starting point for the next Biennale Arte seems to be the reinvention of new and more sustainable relations between individuals and the universe we live in.”
The theme of the 2022 biennale creates a certain mystique and promises some wholly unique art, showcasing unique perspectives with a debut exhibition from Oman along with the fascinating exhibition from Ukrainian artists who were determined to make sure art installations from their war-torn region got to Venice. The Oman pavilion curated by Aisha Stoby highlights five artists, spanning three generations who have made major contributions to the expansion of contemporary art. Featured at this pavilion includes unique calligraphy, abstract art, collages and drawings with the themes of feminism and identity, video installations on social awareness and a posthumous tribute to a self-taught installation artist. The pavilion is under the auspices of the Omani Crown Prince, Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al-Said and is funded by the Oman Ministry of Culture.
Meanwhile, the story behind Ukraine’s pavilion is nothing less than miraculous. The three curators of the Ukraine Pavilion – Maria Lanko, Lizaveta German and Borys Filonenko worked nonstop to make the exhibition a reality. The highlight of the pavilion is a unique rendering by one of Ukraine’s foremost artists, Pavlo Makov entitled The Fountain of Exhaustion. Its unique feature is 70 funnels within a kinetic sculpture that drip water as artist Lanko describes it “symbolizing the exhaustion on a personal and global level.” Initially, the exhibition was put on hold Lanko told the press but determined to exhibit, she put the funnels in her car, driving west from Kyiv into Romania, Hungary and Austria into Italy. The biennale co-curators stated: “When the sheer right to existence for our culture is being challenged by Russia, it is crucial to demonstrate our achievements to the world.” The biennale team also stated the Ukraine pavilion has full support and they are “following the events of the war as it unfolds in Ukraine with apprehension in the hope that international diplomacy will quickly negotiate a mutually agreed upon solution.”
A touching part of this year’s biennale related to the war on Ukraine is the response from two Russian artists scheduled to exhibit at the Russian pavilion but they chose not to. The artists, Alexandra Sukhareva and Kirill Savchenkov said in a statement that “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.” The decision was taken for there not to be a Russian pavilion at this year’s biennale to show solidarity for the plight of the Ukrainians.
The biennale is being held in the Central Pavilion (Giardini) and in the Arsenale to include 213 artists from 58 countries and 180 of those artists are participating for the first time. There are 80 new projects that were created specifically for this year’s biennale with 1,433 works and objects on display
