Before the Future, in Two Parts

Titled Before the Future, Ukraine's contribution to this year's Biennale is curated by architects Iryna Miroshnykova and Oleksii Petrov (both from ФОРМА in Kyiv), and curator Borys Filonenko. The opening of the Biennale on May 20 comes fifteen months after Russia invaded Ukraine, so it is hard for visitors not to think of the war, especially considering that the outdoor installation in the Giardini is located just steps from the Russian Pavilion, which was cancelled last year and remains shuttered for 2023.

Per the description on the Biennale website: “The outdoor installation at the Spazio Esedra in the Giardini is based on a network of largely forgotten 10th century fortifications in the region of Kyiv, which was reactivated during the first days of the Russian invasion, successfully slowing down the invading army’s advance towards the capital.”

Two sloped mounds covered in sod — fitting nicely next to James Stirling and Michael Wilford's patinated Bookshop Pavilion — form a linear central space and further act as seating for events to be held at various times throughout the Biennale, when “representatives of the Ukrainian cultural community will share their stories and experiences with the whole world.”

The installation in the Arsenale is remarkably different, a darkened space with a low drop ceiling and fabric rippling across the floor. Described as “claustrophobic,” the small space is illuminated more by ambient light spilling in from adjacent rooms than the strips of LED lights allowing the wall text to be read. It is a difficult space to photograph, while still capturing the qualities of the installation (I tried my best). Needless to say, it's easy to imagine the forthcoming programming in the Arsenale taking on a decidedly different tone — darker, less optimistic — than the “fortified” space under the sky in the Giardini.