"Before the Future". Commissioner of the National Pavilion Maryana Oleskiv on Ukraine's participation in the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023

After a long pause in almost a decade, Ukraine will present own program at the Biennale Architettura, the largest and most prestigious architectural exhibition in the world, which will open in Venice on May 20. On the eve of this date, we had the opportunity to talk with the initiator of our country's participation in the event and the commissioner of the national pavilion at the architecture biennale, Maryana Oleskiv, head of the State Tourism Development Agency.

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: Is it difficult to be the commissioner of the Ukrainian pavilion precisely at the architecture biennial, and also in wartime conditions and on short notice, if you are the head of DART?

Maryana Oleskiv: Now is the war, and everything is moving at a great speed, so it is difficult to understand what is difficult and what is not. Perhaps, we will be able to realize this only after its completion and then reflect on it. I can definitely say that for more than a year, we all struggle with the consequences of stress. However, this stress gives us adrenaline, and we all do many things that in principle are almost impossible.

In particular, our participation in the architecture biennial this year also seemed unlikely, given that the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine decided to participate in the exhibition at the beginning of March. Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, appointed me as the commissioner of the Ukrainian pavilion. I contacted the organizers of the biennale and, despite all the deadlines, I received permission to participate. I contacted the curators who represented Ukraine at the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art last year, and we just started working.

Of course, we are in 24-hour communication, we agree on certain things, everyone does their own part of the work, and another part of the work for the other, in order to just make it in time. It is not easy, because it is not a standard process, for which we have been preparing for 2 years: we were looking for curators, holding contests, working out procedures. But, on the other hand, it is precisely in such a stressful situation that effective algorithms crystallize.

PM: Ukraine has not been at the exhibition for almost a decade. Why did this happen? How serious is this loss in terms of cultural dialogue with the European community? To what extent does the weight of responsibility feel now — to do something for the first time in such a long time?

M.O.: As a matter of fact, we were absent not only at the architecture biennial, but in principle at many important world events. At the same time, there was Russia everywhere, which invested a lot of money in self-presentation.

In our country, for many years it was considered unimportant, "not the right time" to invest from the state budget in a high-quality representation of Ukraine on the main world platforms. And this detachment, in particular of the architectural community, from important world events led to such a certain closedness of the environment. Our architects did not have the opportunity to present themselves on important world platforms, to gain more international experience, to exchange their ideas with the best world architects.

The commissioner of the national pavilion Maryana Oleskiv indicates the location of the Ukrainian pavilion on the map of the Arsenale exhibition space

And this is one of the reasons why the decision was made to take part in the architecture biennial. Right now, as a country, we are laying the foundations for post-war recovery in so many areas, and I hope that architecture will be no exception. Thanks to participation in the biennial, we will not only be able to attract foreign architects to Ukraine, who will build cool objects here, but also give our specialists the opportunity to integrate into the world architectural community.

PM: What do you think the world community expects from the Ukrainian exposition? To what extent creative decisions regarding the exposition were conforming, "within" expectations, or controversial. And what kind of reaction do we expect from the audience?

M.O.: Actually, now it is difficult to answer this question one hundred percent. I think that already after the opening, we will hear the reflections of the jury, who will visit the pavilions before that, we will see the reaction of the people who visit us, and we will read the critics' reviews.

We took quite big risks: not only to prepare the concept of the pavilion in a short time, but also to implement it. This would not have happened without the support of the Venice Biennale itself. We are incredibly grateful to the organizers also because they are building our exhibition with their own funds.

For the first time in 9 years, Ukraine will have its own pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale

Usually, countries finance the rental of exhibition space and spend considerable budgets on construction, but this year it's all free for us. Leslie Lokko, curator of the main project of the Architecture Biennale, liked our ideas and adopted two concepts. Thanks to the installations, we outline the space in two locations, and the next important element is the public program in which several thematic groups will work.

At the Arsenal, we are building the installation "Under the roof", which symbolizes shelter as a very important element of stability for us, which, unfortunately, many Ukrainians have lost today.

The space of the Ukraine pavilion in the Arsenal will remind visitors of the shelters in which Ukrainians have been forced to hide for over a year

At the second location, in Giardina, ramparts are being built - "copies" of the Serpent ramparts near Bilogorodka, which helped our military to stop the Russian invaders.

 

The second is open – the space of the Ukrainian pavilion, located in the Giardini Gardens, outlined by earthen ramparts
The second is open – the space of the Ukrainian pavilion, located in the Giardini Gardens, outlined by earthen ramparts

These topics are very close to us, Ukrainians. Let's see if the Europeans will understand us. Questions of protection, questions of security, questions of uncertainty are our reality, which we want to show to the visitors of the Biennale.

PM: And just about uncertainty. The concept presented at the Biennale by the country is its vision of itself. Key positioning or interpretation of a traditional image, as you like. What catches the eye when comparing the projects of the exponent countries: someone remains conservative despite the topic of the future. Someone takes more local, specific meanings, someone paints with broad strokes. Ukraine almost duplicates the name of the event, but this "almost" is very significant. The lack of time and reality of war is understandable, but isn't this also a marker of a certain uncertainty felt by creative circles?

M.O.: Actually, yes. And this is also one of the reflections. Because, in particular, in our public program there are several topics that reveal certain problems faced by architects today, and not only them. The public program will involve multidisciplinary teams from various fields: urban planning, art and science. For example, the theme of the commemoration accurately reveals the essence of the feeling "Before the future" of our country and each of its citizens. Because despite the certainty that victory awaits us, we are all at a point of uncertainty.

Commissioner of the Ukrainian pavilion Maryana Oleskiv (second from left) and curators of the Ukraine project Iryna Miroshnikova, Oleksiy Petrov (co-founders of the FORMA architectural bureau) and Boris Filonenko (art critic, director of the cultural publishing house "IST Publishing") on the eve of the opening of the Biennale in Venice

We do not understand when, what this future will be, what will remain of what we had before, and what will be completely new. Therefore, this is the state in which the creative community of Ukraine lives. And in fact, what our artists, cultural figures, and architects create today will, I hope, become the property of world culture in the future. Also because these works were created during the war in Europe, the largest since the Second World War. I visit exhibitions held in different cities: Kharkiv, Kyiv... I see very interesting interpretations of our experiences and I believe that the world should also see them.

PM: Maryana, how (and is it necessary) to get rid of the image of a "ruined country"? Is there no problem in this? We are moving on the theme of building the future from the destructive present. We think about the future, which is about to come, but so far it is not clear due to objective factors. How to find complex meanings for the representation of Ukraine, other than those that lie on the surface?

M.O.: This is an important and painful question for me personally as the head of the State Tourism Development Agency of Ukraine. Because we constantly communicate with our partners, and many imagine Ukraine exactly as they see it in the media: shelling, destruction, deaths. One gets the false impression that total destruction is taking place in every Ukrainian city... And such a perception is important for us today, as it helps to accumulate world support - primarily military and humanitarian. However, the most important challenge after the end of the war will be building the image of a developed, modern European country with a comfortable infrastructure.

The question of reconstruction will arise not only in the context of the physical restoration of the destroyed. We have to decide today what our cities will be like in the future.

And this should be done by our architects and urban planners, because the local context is difficult for someone from the outside to understand. We need philosophical discussions that our architects should have with colleagues from all over the world. I am sure that this will help to understand the transformation of Ukraine, in particular from the point of view of architecture. Because now we have architectural monuments, UNESCO World Heritage sites, but in the XNUMXst century Ukraine did not have a single example of world-class architecture that we could say has become a tourist attraction.

Therefore, we have to answer the question: what is modern Ukrainian architecture? And perhaps here, in Ukraine, in the synergy of Ukrainian and world architects, we will find an answer to a larger question: what is modern architecture in general.

PM: To what extent, in your opinion, can the future be read in "Shelter" and "Snake Shafts"? The images demonstrate a new (temporary, subject to harsh realities) comfort, but what do they tell about the Ukrainian tomorrow?

M.O.: This question would be better answered by the curators, as it is their concept. I hope that all Ukrainians will have a roof over their heads and will be able to return home in the near future, and they will be comfortable and safe here in Ukraine. And the land is, for sure, something that will always be a value for us.

PM: Please tell us more about how the work on the pavilion took shape. How did our team communicate with the organizers?

M.O.: We gave our (Ukrainian, ed.) curators a lot of freedom, since Borys Filonenko (One of the curators of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the Architecture Biennale in Venice, in addition, the co-curator of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 59th International Exhibition of Contemporary Art in Venice in 2022 r. — Ed. note) had already worked at the Art Biennale, Oleksiy Petrov and Iryna Miroshnikova were also involved. They know the site and, accordingly, have an understanding that it is possible to make it in such tight deadlines.

The first photos from the curators of the space of the Ukrainian pavilion in Arsenal. The room resembles a bomb shelter with a very low ceiling and a floor covered with fabric

They proposed a concept that seemed absolutely reasonable to me and to my colleagues from the ministry. After that, a meeting was held with the architectural community, where this concept was presented. We didn't get a whole lot of negativity or hate and decided to move on with her. In fact, we have given our curators complete freedom and do not interfere in the creative process.

For me, as a commissioner, everything was a blank slate: I did not know the procedure, and no one could explain it to me.

For me, as a commissioner, everything was a blank slate: I did not know the procedure, and no one could explain it to me. This, in fact, became a personal task for me: to build a cooperation algorithm, and for future teams to clearly understand with whom they should communicate, in what terms, what information to receive and provide. It is currently being built in the "for yesterday" mode, but due to the fact that there is a lot of support from the Biennale team, we are able to do everything, and we are incredibly grateful for that.

PM: And finally. What of the work in progress and about to end feels the most difficult, and what feels the most interesting? For you personally.

M.O.: The most interesting thing is that this is a completely new field for me, and I am interested in learning more about it. I am from Lviv, I grew up in a city that is one of the pearls of Ukrainian architecture, and of course, this shaped my aesthetic tastes. But now I'm more interested in finding out how certain architectural styles appear, what problems architects face, why they can't implement everything that they could implement in Ukraine today. How can we change this at the state level. This is probably the most interesting thing.

The most difficult thing is the opening time of the pavilion, which we have to adhere to. But, again, I have a lot of experience in organizing events - this is also one of my areas of activity, and this often happens there. In addition, we all understand that the most difficult thing today is for our defenders at the front. We should not complain or complain.

 

 

See also:

"Ukrainian DNA" at the Venice Biennale. How Ukraine will be represented at the most prestigious architectural exhibition in the world

The Venice Biennale announced the participants of the 18th architectural exhibition

Ukraine at Milan Design Week 2023: the spirit of Ukrainian freedom in the CONTINUUM installation