The art piece "Sun & Sea (Marina)" by Lina Lapelyte, Vaiva Grainyte, and Rugile Barzdziukaite won the Golden Lion for best national participation at the Biennale, beating out 89 other national pavilions. This marks the second consecutive win for a performance piece, following the German pavilion's victory in 2017. The Golden Lion for best participant in the central exhibition went to American artist and filmmaker Arthur Jafa for his film "The White Album," which juxtaposes white supremacy with portraits of white individuals he cares for. Jafa also displayed monumental sculptures of truck tires in chains. Senior curator Catherine Wood expressed approval of the winners. Wood described the Lithuanian pavilion as creatively showcasing people's everyday activities and leisure, such as lying on towels, playing board games, applying suntan lotion, chatting, and reading, while also incorporating a strong message about ecological issues and species extinction. She noted that the pavilion combined pedestrian movement with a story that was both joyful and melancholic. The pavilion's curator, Lucia Pietroiusti, who is also curator of general ecology and live programmes at the Serpentine Galleries in London, urged museums to think more innovatively and break away from traditional exhibition formats. Pietroiusti emphasized the need for museums to explore new possibilities and move beyond their specialized niches. Then, when we are faced with major disasters such as climate change or the extinction of species, we must seek additional methods of connecting with one another.