The war has changed also the perception and exhibtion of art – causing the absence of a promising art duo and the Russian pavilion to stay closed
Russian art is not in high demand since the war in Ukraine unfolded less than month ago. The young Russian artists Kirill Savchenkov and Alexandra Sukhareva who were set to represent Russia in April at the Venice Biennale now canceled their commitment stating 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.“
Kirill Savchenkov (Russian: Кирилл Савченков, born May 30, 1987) is a Russian artist based in Moscow. He studied at the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (2004–2009), and the Rodchenko Art School (2009–2012, Oleg Klimov’ Documentary Photography Studio and Roman Minaev‘s Intermedia Studio). He works with various media including photography, video, text, installation and various performative practices engaging the audience (tours, workshops).
His colleague Alexandra Sukhareva (Russian Александра Ильинична Сухарева; born May 25, 1983 in Moscow) is a Russian sculptor and installation artist. Alexandra Sukhareva studied at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Moscow until 2008 and then at the Valand Art Academy in Gothenburg. In 2010 she returned to Russia. She is known for her work with corrosive and toxic materials, which she uses in combination with mirrors and images. Sukhareva exhibits internationally, including taking part in dOCUMENTA in Kassel in 2012 and Manifesta10 in Saint Petersburg in 2014.

No art as a political statement?
The Russian pavilion will now “remain closed” throughout the Biennale, according to a statement its organisers posted on Instagram.
LINKS
- Instagram post of the organisers of the Russian Pavilion https://www.instagram.com/p/CafPLpFrbUc/
- Featured picture: The Russian Pavilion in the Venice Biennial Gardens, 2009, by Cyril S., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Absence in art and the presence it creates at the Hirshhorn (2017)
- Beale, Jason. “Yves Klein, The Void”. Jasonbeale.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008.
- Statements with industrial archaeology - April 13, 2023
- More than Kandinsky - March 3, 2023
- Shiro Takatani and the Void - December 19, 2022