Security Guarantees - Busification
Pavilion of Ukraine at the 61st International Art Exhibition proposal — La Biennale di Venezia

Busification is a mobile public art project and symbol of contemporary Ukrainian culture, depicting violence in the name of the greater good. It undoubtedly represents the country at its most vivid.

This project raises issues of unfulfilled security guarantees and systemic class oppression, while questioning the selective application of fundamental values and rights. It also reflects on the fragility of peace and the resilience of the Ukrainian people.



Busification in the most narrow sense of the term refers to a specific method of forced conscription. It features minibuses into which teams of mobilizers from local recruitment offices push men selected on the street to induct them into the military.

Delusional, privileged groups, often promoted as prominent national artists, remain trapped in propaganda streams, affirming that they live in a democratic society, choosing not to see busification and keep quiet about the systemic crisis, all while being shielded by the complete silence of European media on this matter. Consciously or not, artists whitewash a corrupt and repressive regime where militaristic violence and terror against its own citizens, including kidnappings for ransom, beatings, and killings, have become commonplace, leaving no doubt that the people’s rights have been entirely extinguished.

Zooming out, one must ask: where does Ukrainian society stand in the global hierarchy of safety? And why should the state be treated any differently than it treats its own citizens, whose constitutionally guaranteed rights are violated in a heartbeat?

This project aims to draw attention to an alternative point of view and to highlight the necessity of recognizing, acknowledging, and remembering these crimes as an important part of the historical record. Just as the war is framed within the context of the Russian invasion, any discussion of this conflict should always include busification as an integral part of it.

Viewers can familiarize themselves with the tactics used by the Ukrainian military against its own citizens via the busification video archive.