Ukrainian artist makes cultural stand at Venice Biennale

A view of an installation at a square titled ‘To Ukraine’ at the 59th Biennale of Arts exhibition in Venice, Italy (Antonio Calanni/AP)

Artist Pavlo Makov’s role representing Ukraine at the Venice Biennale has become an act of defiance against the Russian invaders, whose attacks on his adopted home town of Kharkiv have grown more intense in recent days.

Not only do the Russians intend to take over his country, the Russian-born Ukrainian national says, but they are also bent on erasing Ukrainian culture.