Venice becoming the stage for art lovers to protest against the Russia-Ukraine war

While the whole world is suffering from the art loss as collateral damage of the Russia Ukraine war, Venice has now become the new stage of protest against the war at Venice Biennale Arte 2022.

At the opening of the exhibition “This is Ukraine: Defending Freedom”, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine made an unexpected appearance with his live-streaming speech, reported the Art Newspaper. Along with the President, his wife Olena Zelensky also had a message for the exhibition opening. The show is organized by the PinchukArtCentre and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in partnership with the Office of the President of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Information policy of Ukraine.

In a statement in the Art Newspaper, Pinchuk told the Art Newspaper about his plans to “show a victory exhibition” at his art center in Kyiv. According to the Art Newspaper report, an activist group named Global Project protested against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the art space in Venice owned by Russian businessman Leonid Mikhelson on 15 May. The banners stated, “Let’s expropriate Russian oligarchs for peace and climate justice”.

Protests were also staged outside the Russian pavilion in the Giardini by the Russian artist Vadim Zakharov and the Ukrainian actor Aleksey Yudnikov, the Art Newspaper reported. Vadim Zakharov protested declaring that “the murder of women, children, and people of Ukraine is a disgrace to Russia”, whereas Aleksey Yudnikov performed with a Putin mask on his crotch.