Kenyan pavilion official defends choice of Chinese artists at Venice Biennale

The commissioner of the Kenyan pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Paola Poponi, has defended the choice of Chinese artists, saying it expressed this edition's theme "All the world's futures."

Poponi rejected the criticism leveled by some press against the decision to feature six Chinese nationals out of eight artists in the East African country's pavilion at one of the leading exhibitions of contemporary art in the world.

The same happened in 2013, when Kenya's first-ever pavilion overwhelmingly featured Chinese art under Poponi's direction.

"If Chinese artists are good, curators do the right thing by calling on them to show their works," Poponi told Xinhua in a recent interview. She said artists invited by national pavilions at the Venice Biennale "do not represent a country, but share a project together."

She called on avoiding "nationalism" and seeking "mixture," because art should not be constrained by geography. There is no other reason than "objective artistic selection" behind the choice of Chinese artists in the Kenyan pavilion, she added.

The Venice Biennale, whose 56th edition will run in the Italian water city from May 9 to November 22, said in a statement that it "does not in any way interfere with the organizational aspects of the participation of countries."

While a consistent presence of Chinese artists in the Kenyan pavilion is undoubtedly surprising, it highlights China's opening to the world, Gloria Vallese, a professor of art history at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia (academy of art in Venice), told Xinhua.

"There are a number of Chinese artists keen to express their talent. Many of them have a strong national stamp while many others speak an international language," she noted.

Vallese in the past years was co-curator of two major Chinese events held on the sidelines of the Venice Biennale. "Nationality is not what shapes art and the Venice Biennale has encouraged this spirit through the years," she said.

Among other examples of intercultural exchanges fostered by the biennial event, Germany in 2013 presented artists from France, China, South Africa and India, Vallese recalled. Moreover, the German show was set up inside the permanent slot of France, which in turn put its works on display in the German pavilion.

According to Vallese, "it is certainly a good thing" if China, a country with huge art potential, is able to increase exchanges with African countries to strengthen their presence in the exhibition. Enditem