Pavilion bridges past, future at Venice event

VENICE, Italy — The China pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy, is drawing crowds with a presentation that bridges the past and the future.

Since joining the Venice Biennale in 2003, the China pavilion has become an important platform for Chinese contemporary art to meet an international audience.

Themed "Dream Stream", the pavilion this year tries to deliver a sense of crossing time and space. The theme was named after Dream Stream Essays, an encyclopedia written by Shen Kuo in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

The exhibition combines calligraphy, video, digital art, multimedia installations and a robot display to present Chinese tradition in new forms.

Artist Xu Jiang said Dream Stream includes elements from the treasure house of Chinese culture, which are presented through imagination.

One of the highlights was a robot that writes the Chinese characters of Dream Stream with a writing brush. Its mechanical arm guides the brush with rhythm across the paper, showing the force and beauty of Chinese calligraphy, with visitors gathering around to take pictures.

Italian visitor Vanna Rossetti said Chinese calligraphy moved her deeply, calling it "a beautiful form of communication".

Matteo Salvini, Italian deputy prime minister and minister of infrastructure and transport, said he admires Chinese culture and praised the exhibition as "wonderful", noting that it showed both China's historical culture and its vision for the future.

After receiving the robot-written calligraphy, he said he liked the fragrance of Chinese ink and would place it in his office.

Laura Fincato, former Italian deputy foreign minister, said the China pavilion reflects openness, dialogue and connection, as well as the creativity of the artists.

Art and culture remain important forces in building bridges when the world needs more communication and mutual understanding, she said.

Li Xiaoyong, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Italy, said China and Italy, both ancient civilizations, will continue to deepen exchanges in art, cultural heritage protection and other fields, strengthening people-to-people exchanges to develop bilateral ties.

The China pavilion's exhibition will run through November.

XINHUA