Feature: How China revolutionizes its participation at Venice Biennial

By entrusting independent art NGO Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation to curate its national pavilion, China has revolutionized its participation at the Venice Biennial this year.

Visitors will be surprised by the choice of artists invited to present their work at "Other future" -- this theme for the Chinese pavilion this year.

Speaking exclusively with Xinhua, Chinese pavilion curator Cui Qiao confirmed that 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. Most multimedia works don't have topics, just technique," Cui said.

Artists Liu Jiakun, Lu Yang, Tan Dun, Wen Hui and Wu Wenguang all showcase a personal view on public subjects. Together, they show how the Chinese society has been shaped in recent history and how 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 kinetic art of Liu Jiakun, named "With the wind 2015 -- It's your call," investigates the relationship of human beings with nature and the environment.

The young Lu Yang, with his work "Wrathful King Kong Core", has the energy and curiosity of her generation as it investigates the cultural heritage of Buddhism and its modernity, especially in Tibet.

Internationally renowned artist Tan Dun presented "Living future," a visual music performance dealing with the collective memory of a disappearing language created and used exclusively by women who were otherwise forbidden formal education.

Wen Hui and the Living Dance Studio present a selection of filmed dance pieces developed with migrant workers. While the documentary project of Wu Wenguang's "China village documentary project" spanned 10 years and involved Chinese farmers acting and directing themselves as they make a film on village autonomy.

The exhibition, after Venice, is going to travel abroad and also be taken to China, Cui informed.

"The choices made for this exhibition point toward a civil future. It involves the existence of every individual member of civil society who is unique and defies classification," Cui added.

Civil, according to the curator, also represents "open-mindedness and tolerance, taking a rather challenging stance in present day China, one of spontaneity, non-mainstream pursuits and creativity and the enjoyment of the freedom of creativity."

With such an "Other future," China is building itself a solid bridge for art and creativity. Endit