In the global context of large-scale international exhibitions, the National Pavilions of the Venice Biennale serve both as a symbol of prestige and a target of critique. While the increasing number of pavilions, along with various collateral events, often presents a more radical take compared to the main exhibition, the very concept of national representation highlights matters of political agendas, propaganda, and diplomacy. The connection between these aspects has discouraged scholars from exploring comprehensive narratives or engaging in extensive investigations. However, OBOE's fifth issue serves as the initial step in the broader exploration of the National Pavilion within the exhibitionary framework of the Biennale. Contributors to this fifth issue have paved new avenues for research and highlighted, for example, the relationships among agents, diplomatic challenges, and cultural and political goals, inspiring further contributions to the field.

Contributors: Matteo Bertelé, Francesca Castellani, Laura Moure Cecchini, Amelia Chávez Santiago, Claudia Di Tosto, Carmen Lael Hines, Letizia Giardini, Rachel Kubrick, Stuart MacDonald, Ughetta Molin Fop, Helge Mooshammer, Peter Mörtenböck, Anita Orzes, Clarissa Ricci, Althea Ruoppo, Diego Tonus, Angela Vettese, Esra Yıldız.