In Venice, the biennale will start without the Czech pavilion, Czech artists are exhibiting on their own

Prague – The project documentation for the reconstruction of the Czechoslovak pavilion in Venice will be prepared by the Italian studio CandC architettura ingegneria srls. Eva Sochorová, spokesperson for the National Gallery Prague, which is overseeing the Czech participation at the Venice Biennale, said this to ČTK. The oldest exhibition of contemporary art begins on Saturday, and the joint Czech and Slovak pavilion is closed due to reconstruction. However, Czech artists will be represented in exhibitions other than the national ones.

The Venice Biennale of Visual Arts was first held in 1885, always in odd years, and later the Architecture Biennale was added in every even year. The Venice Biennale was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; it was canceled two years ago, causing the exhibitions to be postponed.

The last visual arts biennale took place in 2019, with the Czech side providing the exhibition for the Czechoslovak pavilion, which featured works by Stanislav Kolíbal. However, a storm significantly damaged the pavilion during the summer, and the already dilapidated building required reconstruction, which is still ongoing.

In 2020, the biennale was canceled due to the pandemic, and in the following two years, the pavilion was supposed to serve according to a rotational model for the presentation of the Slovak Republic. This will take place after the reconstruction. The National Gallery states that it is looking for a suitable alternative location for the presentation of the Czech Republic in Venice in 2023.

"The National Gallery Prague and the Slovak National Gallery are taking legal and financial steps necessary to repair the pavilion. After the project documentation is prepared and approved by the Italian authorities, a project for the execution of the construction will be prepared, and a tender for the contractor for the actual reconstruction will take place," the spokesperson for NGP said today.

The Venice Biennale will take place without the Czech, or rather Slovak, national presentation, as well as without the participation of Russia, after the curator and selected artists canceled their participation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Czech art in Venice is not only represented by the official national exhibition; some artists have solo exhibitions or are part of larger curated exhibitions. This year, sculptor Rony Plesl will present his installation of glass sculptures in the church of Santa Maria della Visitazione. The exhibition "Trees Grow from the Sky" consists of three monoliths made of clear crystal with the imprint of the bark of an old oak tree, reflecting the rhythm of the altar columns. The last tree is laid down horizontally, cutting through the landscape scene. The bark of the tree transforms into a relief with the motif of Jesus Christ, symbolizing the spiritual and transcendental message of transformation. The last tree is made of emerald-glowing radioactive uranium glass, which has been used in Bohemia since the Baroque period.

Another Czech trace at the Venice Biennale will be the work of Daniel Pešta in two spaces. At the Palazzo Bembo, visitors will see his large painting "Ecce Homo." The author created it in 2018 and 2019 as a "response to irreversible climate changes on our planet." He is now exhibiting it as a reminder that something ominous lay ahead for humanity even before the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The Palazzo Mora will display his relief "Wall of Life." The block is composed of hundreds of intertwined naked figures, cast in transparent epoxy. Seemingly abstract organic matter will show the viewer an endless loving embrace up close. According to the author, it is a celebration of sensuality and an appeal for the preservation of human existence.