Zhanna Kadyrova's 'The Origami Deer' Confronts War at Venice Biennale

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, artist Zhanna Kadyrova's project 'Security Guarantees' in the Ukrainian Pavilion features 'The Origami Deer' (2019), a concrete sculpture originally installed in Pokrovsk, Ukraine. The work was rescued in 2024 as Russian forces advanced, traveling through Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Berlin, and Paris before arriving in Venice. Suspended from a crane outside the Giardini, the deer symbolizes the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, where Russia, the UK, and US guaranteed Ukraine's security in exchange for nuclear disarmament—guarantees that proved worthless after Russia's 2014 invasion and 2022 full-scale war. The pavilion also includes a video installation documenting the sculpture's journey, capturing both the war's devastation and the resilience of the Ukrainian people. The Biennale's decision to allow Russia's participation amid the ongoing war, which has caused over 500,000 casualties, is noted as shameful. The exhibition is curated by Ksenia Malykh and Leonid Marushchak, running through November 22.