Art fans can now experience one of Italy's most lauded festivals without the need to pay thousands in airfare.

Common Space, which runs until November, is part of the 2011 Venice Biennale and features 30 works by three Italian artists who live and create in Beijing.

Works on show are "good examples of how foreigners living in the city understand it and look at it from another perspective", explained Barbara Alighiero, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Sanlitun.

The capital is among 89 cities worldwide chosen to host the event's first ever sub-exhibitions.

Sculptures, paintings and photographs have been scattered across walls, on ceilings and in unnoticed corners throughout the institute to transform the two-story workplace into an art gallery.

"We could have chosen another venue, but we thought it would be interesting to show the works here, to let visitors see how art can be combined with daily life to create a common space," Alighiero said.

Alessandro Rolandi is one of the three artists whose works are on show. After spending eight years in Beijing as a lecturer and curator, the 40-year-old said he sees the city as a "gigantic modern laboratory" that inspires his experimentation.

"I play with the most common images in uncommon ways," he told METRO. "Like introducing a third party into a two-player game, I like the people who view my work to laugh and think about its meaning."

The Italian's sculpture Kungfu Master, which looks like a floor lamp standing in a Chinese-style shoe, is just one example of his humor and eye of irony.

Wei Lai, a 27-year-old consultant at Chivast Education International, said she was initially surprised to see a large map of Beijing's hutong made out of towels on a wall opposite the washroom. Later she discovered a work made using badminton shuttles hanging from the ceiling.

"The show brings back memories of the days when I was studying in Italy," she said. "I was amazed by the Italian artists' creativity and elegant handicraft."

Since opening on May 27, the show at the Italian Cultural Institute has attracted an average of 50 visitors a day, according to Luo Rui in its publicity office.

Alighiero also added that a five-minute video of the Beijing show will be broadcast repeatedly at the pavilion in Venice during the biennale, "which means all the exhibitions are connected".

China Daily

(China Daily 06/07/2011)