Xu Bing

The Pheonix.

This year's Biennale, judging on what we have seen so far, seems a bit short on spectacle. That may be a reflection on the way the world is now, because the same could have been said of last year's version in Liverpool. This piece bucked the trend, though, and made fantastic use of the old docks at the Arsenale. Created from discarded construction debris and machine parts, they are imposing figures and they grabbed us for more than a few minutes as we sat for a welcome breather. A comment on the morals surrounding the Beijing Olympics in 2008, perhaps they deserve the attention.