Pavilion reveals “Civil Future” at Venice art biennale 2015

Visitors are seen in front of James Beckett’s “Negative Space: A Scenario Generator for Clandestine Building in Africa” at the Belgian Pavilion of the Art Biennial in Venice, Italy

China’s pavilion was unveiled in Venice on Saturday, bringing the innovative ideas of Chinese artists into the Italian “water city”, where artists from all over the world are showing their works at the 56th International Art Exhibition, or Venice Art Biennale 2015, between May 9 and Nov. 22.
The Chinese pavilion at the biennale this year is themed “Civil Future”. It means “everything is among the people and points to the future,” Li Ruiyu, Chinese Ambassador to Italy, said at the opening ceremony.
Noting that the 56th biennale’s main theme is “All the World’s Futures” initiated by Okwui Enwezor, curator of the 2015 edition, Li said the main theme not only covers broad areas but also offers a freer demonstration space for artists.
Meanwhile, the “Civil Future” theme put forward by the China Pavilion team guides viewers to explore the artistic spirit shown by Chinese artists through the forms of painting, music, video and installation art, the ambassador said.
Expressing congratulations to the opening of the Chinese pavilion, President of the Venice Foundation Giulizno Segre said the “water city” has seen more and more China-related activities held in Venice such as those at the Architecture Biennale last year.
“This year, we hope to see successful showing of the Chinese pavilion at the 56th International Art Exhibition in Venice and to see China open its new chapter,” he added.
In Venice, Chinese pavilion curator Cui Qiao said the focus this year was set on artists that deal with the past in a simple but sincere manner.
“I think artists should focus more on content and building an audience, not only technique. But most multimedia works don’t have topics, just technique,” Cui told Xinhua.
At the Chinese pavilion, artists Liu Jiakun, Lu Yang, Tan Dun, Wen Hui and Wu Wenguang all showcase a personal view on public subjects. Together, they show how Chinese society has been shaped in recent history and how the Chinese masses are publicly impacting the future of the country. The range of backgrounds and interests of the artists map a rich and complex past.
“The choices made for this exhibition point toward a civil future. It involves the existence of every individual social member who is unique and defies classification,” Cui said.
Civil, according to the curator, also represents “open-mindedness and tolerance, taking a rather challenging stance in modern China, one of spontaneity, non-mainstream pursuits and creativity, and the enjoyment of the freedom of creativity.”
The Venice Biennale takes place once every two years in various historical venues of Venice. The art fair this year will host participants of some 90 countries and regions along with various art activities. Xinhua