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Theres something missing in Venice this week.
Ive noticed no Russians.
This hardly marks the first time that any nation has found itself cut out of the Biennale.
In 2022, those shocks are emanating straight from Ukraine.
Damien Hirsts contribution toDefending, a Ukrainian flag dotted with butterflies).
The question for us was, can you make art after Bucha?
All I could bring was my wife and my cat.
How, she wanted to know, was any such encounter possible, without any Russian representation in Venice?
The question hung in the air for a moment.
Unfortunately, he said, right now, Russian culture is arriving in Ukraine on the backs of tanks.
That is the only exchange taking place.
For now, even that was beyond reach.
The only place for dialogue, said Makov, is the front.
