Press releases

Belarus’ project presented at Venice Biennale

Photos courtesy of Maria Dedyulya

MINSK, 10 May (BelTA) – During the 58th Venice Biennale of modern art Belarus is represented by the sculpture and multimedia composition Exit. The national pavilion was officially opened on 9 May, the project’s supervisor Olga Rybchinskaya told BelTA.

Senior Counsellor of the Embassy of Belarus in Italy Olga Dolgopolova, curators and artists from Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, the USA, and other countries were present during the presentation of the Belarusian pavilion. The Belarusian composition met a strong interest. “All those present remarked upon the integrity of our project and the meanings one can glimpse from it,” Olga Rybchinskaya said. “We are very conveniently placed – near the exit from the Arsenal and half way to Giardini’s gardens – this is why we expect no shortage of visitors.”

The project Exit has multiple dimensions and works in the coordinates of time, history, and the modern world. It has been created through the spatial interaction of five multimedia objects – depersonalized human-sized sculpture figures, each of which is designed to represent a specific event-state. “All the figures and objects – a TV set, a neon sign, a slogan, a tray with glasses of milk, packaging crates – are connected and interact with each other to make a single module. The entire installation combines these objects into an organic whole and creates a unique aura of a message, an indirect narrative,” Olga Rybchinskaya said.

Before the Exit project could become part of the Venice Biennale, a nationwide contest was arranged to create the curator concept of the pavilion. As many as 18 applications were submitted. The panel of judges chose the concept presented by the sculptor Konstantin Selikhanov and the art critic, art historian Olga Rybchinskaya. Their project matches the slogan and the theme of this year’s Venice Biennale – May you live in interesting times.

The 58th Venice Biennale is one of the world’s most famous modern art forums. It is scheduled to take place on 11 May – 24 November. The Belarusian pavilion was organized by the Culture Ministry and the National Modern Art Center with assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Belarus in Italy.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks