叶放
《礼堂》
Artists Ye Fang’s artwork "hall" is right at the starting point of Suzhou, which Marco Polo has introduced to the Europeans. Ye tried to supply the Europeans with a concept: What are the basic characters of Chinese culture? Devices for the installation, models, ink and furniture will be used to install a conference room into a typical hall of Chinese style. In fact, this work is the artist’s specific Chinese garden project for Venice International University’s building program. During the Biennial, people will see the final presentation of this artwork. In the exhibition, the artist tries to prompt the importance of "ceremony", which is the core element of traditional Chinese culture, and people who understand Chinese culture and history can come to realize the intrinsic nature of a courtesy ceremony is actually a Patriarchal System and Code of Ethics. Chinese people love the "perfectly justified" to show the principles and unshakeable ideals. Once this belief has been an effective culture and system conversion, this will show clearly the principle of common humanity. The artist said that he tried to arouse the audience’s "Emotion and rational coordination and harmonization" in their heart. This Chinese garden will eternally grow at the VIU campus, as Marco Polo's Travels described China's Jiangnan area as "beautiful scenery everywhere, which makes people believe it’s paradise on earth." In English, the word "paradise" comes from the ancient Greek text paradeisos, which actually origins are from the ancient Persian word pairidaeza, that means "garden of luxury." Therefore, the Chinese garden is the center of Marco Polo’s described paradise on earth, and it also has become a sensible "ceremony" and physical presentation of appreciation.
周春芽
雕塑：《背靠背》
油画：《杜宾和T63》
Zhou Chunya’s gift comes from his integration of the Chinese temperament and German spirit. His “Green Dog”’s cultural origins are integrated and blended. Few Chinese artists can use Western materials embodied with their cultural symbols to draw such a familiar animal as expressive and full of life. Marco Polo trips inspired further communication and travel between China and the world. When Zhou went to Germany for studies, the mankind has already entered into an era of globalization.
岳敏君
《迷宫》系列
Yue Minjun has viewed traditional Chinese garden as a labyrinth of history and reality. This artist not only used pictures of Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Zhang Daqian’s artworks inside his own labyrinth, but also took their names as the works’ titles. These Chinese names are largely unfamiliar to Western audience, as they are closely related with Chinese art history. Yue said "These artists had never taken part in exhibitions like Venice International Biennale, I am then trying this way to fulfill a shadowy dream for them." Indeed, "the use of icons and images on the screen are traditional Chinese art symbols of animals and birds commonly found in plants, rocks, and so on ", which indicates that elements of traditional Chinese culture as well, prompt connotation of Ye Fang’s planning inside his garden project. As the evidence of tradition and history, these elements are quite decisive, which are the initial targets of Marco Polo’s interests. Artists suggested that the "artists’ confusion and exploration in traditional art creation, comes from being lost in the labyrinth of creating their own space going, from one maze to another, like facing a prisoner’s plight, always unable to get out." However, history is such a labyrinth, just as Marco Polo’s bringing the Venetians into the Oriental labyrinth, Chinese artists today once again are constructing a labyrinth for Venice.
方力均
油画：《2008.5.1》《2008.6.1》《2008.7.1》
雕塑：《40800mm(No.6)》《40800mm(No.10)》
Fang Lijun placed seemingly very good frame onto the gray wall, and possibilities of goodness seem to show in the frame.However, through careful observation can we find that good things may be like clouds, while life strength is rather like those of bacteria and insects, constantly existing there. Whether, creeping-forward villains, or a symbol of painting, the artist actually implies that conflicts, confrontation and contradicting realities will eventually dissipate over time. From a historical point of view, a problem in a specific context may be is ridiculous. Ignorance, misunderstanding, resentment, confusion and even killing between East and West are caused by origin, geography, culture, history and political or economic institutional differences, but all these problems will vanish into thin air through communication and knowledge, and the exchange of communication and knowledge just as begun in Marco Polos’ time. Therefore the artist adopted a suggestive manner in which he expressed of his subject.
何多苓
《乐园》《失乐园》
He Duoling’s “pornography” provides a garden of meaning, which could be found everywhere in Chinese culture and history, but the artist did not emphasize “pornographic” fluster, instead he only hinted at a condition with sentiments. This temperament utilizes the tragedy of modernism sensitivity of Chinese literati. The artist seems to believe that this temperament is unique for today's Chinese people, and it seems that since the time of Marco Polo some of the temperament remains traditional.
张晓刚
《如何成为马可波罗No.1：手电筒和指南针》
《如何成为马可波罗No.2,带望远镜的房间和圣经综合材料》
《如何成为马可波罗No.3,带望远镜的房间和圣经综合材料》
Xiaogang's writing and images origin from reading and symbolic statements of history. He want to be a Marco Polo, so he borrowed the "Travels" content. This book has been translated and interpreted many times, but is the history recorded in different characters ‘truly’ real? Marco Polo's "Travels" has a lot of aliases: II Millione, Marco Polo-The Description of the World or The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and marvels of the East, these titles themselves have different contents of reading, understanding and conclusions. What is actually the relationship between me and an Italian living more than 800 years ago? What can be the relationship between ancient evidences and an individual person from a contemporary country?
王广义
《现场》系列
Wang Guangyi is trying to create a symbolic historical scene that illustrates Marco Polo’s setting foot on China, “Italy and China had formed a complex relationship in the history river.” He said, “as historical ‘evidence’, Yuanmingyuan is of special significance containing complex cultural and political conflicts. At the same time, Yuanmingyuan is the' crime scene ' of Eight-Power Allied Forces’ military aggression and cultural acquisitions from China. “Unsurprisingly, not only Marco Polo, also F. Liuseppe Castiglione----an Italian and one of the architects of Yuanmingyuan ----would not have thought of this point." He hoped to restore the history of the" scene ", to make the posterity of Marco Polo understand the complexity of history and culture. In this scene, the pathos of history, reflects on the disaster as well as memories of the tragedy, have all become questions for today.
张培力
照片、装置：《圣马可广场》
Zhang Peili offers to give Marco Polo a fun gift. The artist looked for studying cases in Hangzhou- the city Marco Polo once visited, and now is to present photos of an imitated San Marco Piazza to the audience in Italy. This is a new example of communication, and is an embarrassing example that shows many problems. In the modernization progress since 1978, China has once again agreed to learn from the West. However, the Chinese clearly exposed their emptiness of spirit and history, lack of innovation and poor standards of living then. East and West are looking at each other, specific people are meeting together. Still, the “Tower” set up in Hangzhou’s San Marco Square is actually impotent and caddish, due to the lack of knowledge and training of the Venetian civilization’s context, this make it superficial.
吴山专与Inga Svala Thorsdottir
《买就是创造》
Wu Shanzhuan decides to show those civilizations "parallel" with colorful neon lights. At nights if we stand at VENICE BIENNALE GIARDINI to watch Island of San Servolo, this group of meaningless symbols may provide a fantastic new source of inspiration. Artist himself will hang “TO BUY IS TO CREATE ” over the campus walls of VIU, trying to inform the Marco Polo that the footprints of Venice Merchant of Venice did leave Chinese people a deep impression, and now especially that "Commerce" has become a global consensus. "To buy is to create" that has as well been placed on buildings of Venice's by Chinese people( artist ) is a general motto for the world today.