Jasmina Cibic Interrogates National Representation in Slovenia's Venice Biennale Pavilion

Jasmina Cibic represents Slovenia at the Venice Biennale with 'For Our Economy and Culture,' an immersive installation at Galleria A+A, San Marco 3073. Her project critiques state-driven iconography through architectural interventions, two new films, and historical artifacts. One film, shot at Tito's Lake Bled residence, dramatizes a dialogue on state architecture, while another re-enacts a 1957 Slovenian parliamentary debate on art appropriateness, using a transcript found abandoned in a garage. Wallpaper featuring the beetle Anophtalmus Hitleri, a failed national symbol, and paintings from the National Assembly's collection further explore selection processes. Cibic views the Biennale as a remnant of 19th-century world fairs with imperialist ambitions, framing her role as an embedded 'acteur' to subvert exhibition norms. She targets the Biennale's specific audience, acknowledging art's limited democratic reach, and recalls Tino Sehgal's 2005 German Pavilion as a highlight. Cibic was confirmed only three months before the opening, and she anticipates works from the Welsh, British, Estonian, Israeli, Austrian, and Luxembourg pavilions, along with Massimiliano Gioni's Arsenale curation.