The installation, titled 'Official. Unofficial. Belarus.', involves painters, sculptors, composers and chef Rasmus Munk, who was recently voted the world's best chef, according to The Guardian. It includes a towering iron crucifix fitted with surveillance cameras and a large sphere made of banned works such as Harry Potter and books by Svetlana Alexievich. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, stole the last two elections and imprisoned thousands of opponents, The Guardian reported.
The project was masterminded by Daniella Kaliada, 26, daughter of the theatre's co-founders Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin, who have lived in London since 2011. Daniella Kaliada told The Guardian she "absolutely despises" the Lukashenko regime.
I absolutely despise them.
Elsewhere at the biennale, Sung Tieu is co-representing Germany. Born in Vietnam, she moved to Germany as a child after her father came as a contract worker; she and her mother sought asylum. Curator Stefanie Hessler noted that we are in a "post-medium condition" where the idea outweighs medium specificity. Many artists at the biennale emphasize art that requires physical presence rather than virtual experience.
When you commission an artist you have no idea what they're going to make — I want to be surprised.