Kazakhstan Cancels Venice Biennale Pavilion at Last Minute

Kazakhstan has abruptly canceled its national pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale, scheduled from May 11 to November 24, 2019, just over a month before the opening. The decision was attributed to budget cuts, according to a press release shared on Facebook by the commissioning body. Curator Nadim Samman, who also organized the 2012 Marrakech Biennale, stated he had signed a provisional contract with the National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana (recently renamed Nursultan after former President Nursultan Nazarbayev) but had not been paid. Co-curator Roza Abenova, director of the National Museum, resigned to take on the role. In February, confusion arose when unknown individuals claimed to be organizing the pavilion. Samman sought clarification from new museum director Almaz Nurazkhan but received no response. Nurazkhan later stated no binding agreement was signed and cited lack of funds and procedural issues. The cancellation was reported by The Art Newspaper.