North Macedonia unveils representative for Venice Biennale 2026
An expert committee consisting of Sonja Abadzhieva, Ivana Uroshevikj and Simon Shemov has recommended that North Macedonian artist Velimir Zhernovski's art installation "Pieta Under the Covers of Urgency" represent the country at the upcoming Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition, CE Report quotes MIA.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in a press release, the project was proposed by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje.
Four entries were submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's call for artists to represent the country at the 61st Venice Biennale, which will be held from May 9 through Nov. 22, 2026.
The committee said Zhernovski's art installation stood out as "an original and compact project, beyond the stereotypes and standards of visual practice."
"Through its readability, complex content and visually persuasive eloquence, the project will be a proud representative of the Republic of Macedonia at the Venice Biennale in 2026," the release said.
"Pieta Under the Covers of Urgency" was inspired by Michelangelo Buonarroti's Pietà, the Carrara marble sculpture in Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the release said.
Zhernovski's installation "ignores death and the phenomenon of genocide in general as it reformulates the sculpture," the committee said.
Velimir Zhernovski (b. 1981, Skopje) has been described as one of the few North Macedonian artists to directly explore notions of sexuality and gender identity. He has a bachelor's degree from the state university's Faculty of Fine Arts and he works in various media, including drawing, video art and installation.
He has had several solo exhibitions in New York, Paris and Vienna, among other cities, and took part in group exhibitions in Slovenia, Austria, Germany, USA and elsewhere. He has also curated several art projects and exhibitions and participated in many international collaborations.
In 2008, Zhernovski co-founded Skopje's FRIK Cultural Initiatives Development Formation. In 2013, he co-founded Belgrade's IPAK Research Center for Cultures, Politics and Identities.
