Venice pavilion overhaul
The Venice Biennale’s Central Pavilion has been fully renovated ahead of the 61st International Art Exhibition — organizers say the refurbishment will refresh the heart of the Giardini experience (designboom.com). Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro warned the Russian pavilion will be closed if it features state propaganda, while organizers confirm Russia’s participation and say no sanctions were breached (theartnewspaper.com) (pravda.com.ua). Korea previewed ambitious plans for the national pavilion and artist Nalini Malani is mounting an immersive “thought chamber” collateral event layering history, myth and gender (koreatimes.co.kr) (livemint.com).
La Biennale says the Central Pavilion overhaul was a 16‑month project (December 2024–March 2026) funded with a €31 million allocation from the Italian Ministry of Culture under the PNC‑PNRR “Great Cultural Heritage Attractors” programme. (labiennale.org) The renovation was managed by La Biennale’s Special Projects office (Arianna Laurenzi) with engineer Cristiano Frizzele; the temporary association of professionals included BUROMILAN (Milan Ingegneria) as lead, Labics and architect Fabio Fumagalli, with site supervision by engineer Massimiliano Milan. (labiennale.org) Architectural interventions restored Carlo Scarpa windows, reinstated canal‑facing terrace openings, repositioned the Sala Chini as the main distribution node and reconfigured the Sala Brenno del Giudice, while service functions (bookshop, cafeteria, education spaces) form a ring around flexible white‑box galleries. (designboom.com) La Biennale has submitted documentation to Italy’s Culture Ministry asserting that Russia’s planned pavilion does not breach sanctions, and Russia’s cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy confirmed a May reopening framed around music and interdisciplinary programming—moves that have prompted diplomatic pushback including a statement backed by 22 countries and warnings from EU officials about funding implications. (artnews.com) South Korea’s national presentation, titled “Liberation Space: Fortress/Nest,” is curated by Binna Choi and features artists Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro, with fellows including novelist Han Kang and singer Lang Lee and a first‑time programme collaboration with the Japan Pavilion announced at a March 19 briefing in Seoul ahead of the May 9–Nov 22 run. (koreatimes.co.kr) The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art will stage Nalini Malani’s site‑specific Collateral Event “Of Woman Born” at Magazzini del Sale n.5 from May 9 to November 22, presenting 67 animations (drawn from more than 30,000 iPad sketches) across nine video channels with a 20‑minute soundscape, curated by Roobina Karode. (knma.org)
