First-ever Ukrainian folk ensemble at the Venice Biennale. Performances at the pavilion throughout all 6 months of the exhibition (from April to October 2026).
Venice Biennale of Art 2026 (60th edition) — the planet's most influential art exhibition held in Venice since 1895 — opens 18 April 2026 and runs to 24 November 2026. The Ukrainian National Pavilion presents Kurbasy as the first-ever Ukrainian folk ensemble at the Biennale (previously there were exclusively visual artists — Zhanna Kadyrova 2022, Pavlo Makov 2022, Andriy Malakhov 2024). Performance concept — sound-installation in the pavilion: Kurbasy performs on a fixed schedule — 4 times per week, 90 minutes each performance, from April to October 2026 (96 performances total over 6 months). Each performance executes one of the ensemble's 4 signature compositions in different arrangements. Theme — 'Voice from the Borderland: 7 Centuries of Ukrainian Folk Memory'. Pavilion curator is Anna Alchuk (renowned art scholar, author of the book 'Ukrainian Culture in Wartime'). Pavilion architecture — reconstruction of a traditional 18th-century Ukrainian khata, into which a modern acoustic system is integrated. The pavilion is expected to be visited by over 280 thousand viewers over 6 months. Recording of all 96 performances will be available on 'Voice from the Borderland: Complete Live Archive' (24-CD set, release December 2027).
