Ukrainian Pavilion: The Origami Deer by Zhanna Kadyrova 
on the Way to Venice

On Thursday, March 12, 2026, Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague will host the public programme of the National Pavilion of Ukraine at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

 

From 3 pm to 10 pm, visitors will have the opportunity to view the Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova’sstatue The Origami Deer (2019) directly in front of the Rudolfinum building. Kadyrova presented her work to the Czech audience at Galerie Rudolfinum in the spring of 2024 at the exhibition UNEXPECTED.

 

The Origami Deer (2019) will later sit at the centre of the Security Guarantees exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Ksenia Malykh and Leonid Marushchak.

 

Thursday’s event will also feature a screening of a documentary film, an interview, and a discussion. Admission to the entire programme is free. The programme will be held in English.

 

The Origami Deer

 

Zhanna created The Origami Deer as a permanent public artwork for a park in Pokrovsk, a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The sculpture originally stood on the site of a dismantled Soviet nuclear-capable jet. In August 2024, as the front line approached Pokrovsk and the civilian population began to evacuate, Zhanna, Leonid, and a team of municipal workers dismantled the sculpture and relocated it to a safer city. In 2025, the Origami Deer began its journey to Venice.

 

The Ukrainian Pavilion project raises the issue of unfulfilled security guarantees, for which Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal in 1996. The project also reflects on the fragility of peace and the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

 

Event Programme

 

15:00–22:00 — sculpture display at the Jan Palach Square (in front of the Rudolfinum building)

 

18:00–19:00 — screening of a documentary short film IDP (dir. Zhanna Kadyrova, 2025), which captures the sculpture’s evacuation from Pokrovsk, and further discussion with Zhanna Kadyrova and Leonid Marushchak at Café Rudolfinum (in English)

 

19:00–20:30 — conversation of a researcher, working on philosophy and visual culture Isabel Jacobs and co-curator of the Public Programme Ivanna Kozachenko on the topic of Morphological Materialism in the Soviet Union, with a focus on Ukrainian environments at Café Rudolfinum (in English)

 

About the Artist

 

Zhanna Kadyrova is a Ukrainian artist whose practice focuses on the theme of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The artist is also known for her sculptures, installations and projects that explore urban spaces. She is a laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine in the field of visual arts (2025), winner of the first Her Art Prize, founded by Marie Claire France and Art Paris (2025), recipient of the PinchukArtCentre Prize (2013), and the Kazimir Malevich Prize (2012). She lives and works in Kyiv. Kadyrova presented her work to the Czech audience at Galerie Rudolfinum in the spring of 2024 at the exhibition UNEXPECTED.

 

About the Project

 

Ukrainian Pavilion: The Origami Deer by Zhanna Kadyrova on the way to Venice will take place: 8 March in Warsaw (Ujazdowski Castle), 10 March in Vienna (MuseumsQuartier), 12 March in Prague(Galerie Rudolfinum), 14 March in Berlin (CTM Festival, daadgalerie), 17–20 March in Brussels (Bozar), and 23 March in Paris.

 

The public programme is curated by Katia Khimei and Ivanna Kozachenko.

 

Acknowledgements

 

The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Сulture of Ukraine, UNESCO and Sushko Philanthropy. In Prague, it will be held with the support of Galerie Rudolfinum, Café Rudolfinum and Tetiana Babchuk.

 

Media partners: Suspilne Kultura, Radio Kultura, Artslooker