A taste of China in Venice at the Architecture Biennale

International award-winning architect Ma Yansong says it's been an insightful and inspiring experience curating this year's China Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, which opened this week.  

The theme of the exhibition is "Co-Exist" and it offers a journey through the past, present and beyond.  

Ma told CGTN that the exhibition reflects China's diverse urban landscapes.  

"The idea is to talk about history, the future, technology, and nature," he said. "I think architects provide the solutions but first they have to recognize the challenges, the issues. So they have many different roles but they must understand our society, our culture."    

Some exhibits explore ways to reuse materials, such as the project called Concrete Spolia – a Latin term which refers to the repurposing of stones.  

Wang Shuaizhong is an Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and explained to CGTN that the aim is to create new cities from reused and reclaimed elements.  

"So, we want to extend this concept into a circular construction, we have a lot of concrete waste from China and all over the world and a lot of urban renewal requests."  

This year there are 66 national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale and each one explores the overall theme of natural, collective and artificial intelligence.   

Carlo Ratti is the curator of the prestigious event and told CGTN that it offers an important dialogue about the role architecture plays in adaptation and transformation. 

"They all try to talk together, from all the different countries and with all the people enjoying and interacting with the Biennale. So, I like to think about it as a chain reaction and even more, a call to action."   

While Ma serves as a role model for new generations, he says that he's equally inspired by their perspective.   

"I think it's important to hear what they have to say about the issues around them, because China is so big and so diverse," he told CGTN.

Yingfan Zhang and Bu Xiaojun are partners at Atelier Alter Architects, and their light installation Dunhuang-Con-Stella-Tion is inspired by the desert caves of Dunhuang as a floating urban cosmos.    

Zhang says it was a pleasure to collaborate with Ma. 

"He has a very sharp, very keen vision and he knows where the project should go, and I really respect that, and I learn a lot from him." 

Italy is home to many of Ma's past and ongoing works, demonstrating crucial cultural exchange between the two countries.  

"I think Italy has some similarities with China, because of the history, diversity, and the landscape. I like the food here and I like the food in China."