The Origami Deer by Zhanna Kadyrova
on the Way to Venice

The Origami Deer by Zhanna Kadyrova on the Way to Venice is a public programme of the National Pavilion of Ukraine at the 61st International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia.

During the events across Europe in March, visitors will be able to see the sculpture The Origami Deer (2019) by Zhanna Kadyrova, that sits at the centre of the Security Guarantees exhibition, curated by Ksenia Malykh and Leonid Marushchak. The events will also include film screening, discussions and music performances. Press the button with the name of the city to see the detailed event program.

Zhanna Kadyrova created The Origami Deer as a permanent public artwork for a park in Pokrovsk, a city in Donetsk region, 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.

The project in Venice will unfold across two locations: the sculpture will be exhibited in a public space at Riva Ca’ di Dio. The second part of the exhibition will take place in the Ukrainian Pavilion at the Arsenale (Sale d’Armi, building A, 1st floor). It will feature archival materials related to the Budapest Memorandum, as well as video documentation of the sculpture’s evacuation and its journey to Venice, created with the participation of Natalka Dyachenko, Pavel Sterec, and Max Maslo. The exhibition in Venice will be open to the public from 9 May to 22 November 2026.