The Hong Kong Arts Development Council announced Friday that an exhibition by Hong Kong visual artists will be featured in the 51st Venice Biennale in the coming June.

This is the third time for Hong Kong to introduce the work of its visual artists to the international art arena.

The theme of this year's exhibition is Investigation of a Journey to the West by Micro+Polo. The exhibition is a marvelous and imaginative investigation of travel west in the computer age by two local visual artists another mountain man (Micro) and Chan Yuk-keung (Polo).

The exhibition investigates and explores the blending and divergence of the societies through the microcosmic vision of artists. It reflects parallels and differences between Hong Kong and Venice. Both cities are surrounded by water, but one lives on its history while the other is continually striding into the future.

The Venice Biennale, a world-renowned visual arts exhibition, was first held in 1895. The exhibition attracts participants from around 50 cities and countries.

This year, the exhibition will be held from June 12 to Nov. 6 in Venice.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2005)