German Pavilion Transformed into Prefab Building at Venice Biennale

The German Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale has been transformed into a prefabricated building (Plattenbau) by artists Sung Tieu and the late Henrike Naumann, who died in February at age 41 from cancer. Curator Kathleen Reinhardt described the completion as an extremely emotional moment. Tieu covered the 1938 fascist architecture with an image of a Berlin prefab building using over three million mosaic tiles, referencing a former housing complex for Vietnamese contract workers. Naumann's interior installation features mint green referencing Soviet barracks in East Germany, a cartography of war including a relief of chairs, a curtain of chainmail, and the performance 'Trümmerfrau'. The pavilion's title is 'Ruin'. Reinhardt noted that Naumann's work addresses Russia's participation at the Biennale, which has sparked controversy leading to the jury's resignation and cancellation of the opening ceremony and Golden Lion awards. Naumann, who grew up in Zwickau, observed the radicalization of far-right forces and warned of war. The pavilion features East German and East German-migrant voices prominently for the first time.