Anna Kamyshan's Floating Synagogue Nabatele Destroyed by 50-Knot Winds in Venice

On 17 September, extreme winds led to the destruction of Nabatele, a helium-filled balloon designed by architect Anna Kamyshan to resemble a flying shtetl synagogue. This artwork had previously floated 35 metres above the Venice lagoon during the Venice Biennale in August. Although it was built to endure winds of up to 20 knots, it was ripped apart by gusts reaching 50 knots. On Yom Kippur, Kamyshan released a video of the balloon's deflation, expressing that it was time to release Nabatele. Drawing inspiration from René Magritte's 1959 painting, the piece represented both uncertainty and hope. Kamyshan, who works in London and New York, co-created Kyiv's Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center and was invited to the Yiddishland pavilion by curators Maria Veits and Yevgeniy Fiks, with support from the Montreal Jewish Museum.