Robotics is part of the artistic programme at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. At the China Pavilion, which opened with the exhibition Dream Stream, a robot co-writes the characters “Dream Stream” as part of a large-scale calligraphy work by artist Wang Dongling. The work presents robotics not only as a technical tool, but as part of a cultural and artistic dialogue about humans, machines and tradition.
The exhibition is hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China. The Art Museum of the China Academy of Art acts as curatorial institution, under the leadership of Professor Yu Xuhong, President of the China Academy of Art and Director of the CAA Art Museum. According to the organisers, Dream Stream explores how Chinese cultural traditions relate to the digital age.
The title refers to Dream Stream Essays by Shen Kuo, a scholar from the Northern Song Dynasty. The exhibition uses “stream” as a metaphor for movement and transmission, and “dream” as an experiential horizon. In this way, the pavilion connects with the wider theme of the Biennale Arte 2026, In Minor Keys.
The pavilion combines traditional art forms with video, installation, digital technology and game art. One of the notable works is Wang Dongling’s calligraphic piece Free and Easy Wandering, in which a robot writes the characters “Dream Stream” together with the artist. The installation shows how a classical art form such as Chinese calligraphy can be linked to automation and robotic movement.
The robot is part of an artistic process, and . It functions as an executing machine, but also as a symbol for the question of how technology influences human expression. In calligraphy, rhythm, pressure, movement and imperfection are central elements. This gives the use of a robot in this context a different meaning than in an industrial environment.
Other parts of the China Pavilion include Black Myth: Wukong by Game Science, presented as game art on an international art platform. The pavilion also features installations such as 2027 Shen Kuo, inspired by the long handscroll tradition in Chinese art, and Liangzhu Highlight, a spatial light installation created in collaboration with scientists from Zhejiang Lab. Together, these works emphasise the connection between art, science and technology.
The presence of robotics at the Biennale reflects a broader development in which robots and AI are increasingly used outside traditional industrial applications. In museums, performances and installations, machines are being used to raise questions about creativity, autonomy and cooperation between humans and technology. At the China Pavilion, that discussion is connected with cultural heritage and traditional art forms, rather than efficiency or automation alone. Curator Yu Xuhong said at the opening that he hoped visitors would experience the poetry and vitality of Chinese culture, while also appreciating the tension and warmth of art in the age of AI. With Dream Stream, the China Pavilion positions robotics not as a standalone technological object, but as part of a wider cultural exploration of digitalisation, history and human imagination.
