war story
Venice, Italy - Apr 25, 2022
Ukraine's Fountain of Exhaustion
Ukraine's Fountain
of Exhaustion
By Mark Hoffman
Venice, Italy, Apr 25, 2022
aiphoto by Paul Weiner
aiThe “Fountain of Exhaustion” was conceived in 1995 by artist Pavlo Makov, this kinetic sculpture defied time and circumstance. Its 78 copper funnels, arranged in a triangle channeled water from row to row.
This kinetic sculpture defied time and circumstance like Ukrainians in Russiaʼs full-scale invasion
aiThis is the first time it was actually displayed with running water, which made a quiet rustle. Now, in Venice, it found its voice. It spoke of culture, economy, and politics drained by relentless turmoil. And in the shadow of a pandemic, it became a vessel for collective weariness.
aiMakov’s sculpture was originally created as a comment on the exhaustion of natural resources and was inspired by a four weeks water outage in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
aiNow it also symbolizes Ukraine’s endurance, its people’s resilience, and the universal fatigue of a world grappling with crises and is a plea for empathy, a call to recognize shared exhaustion.
