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The art world has descended on Venice. On the bus from the airport, we overheard a woman talking with a young American artist.

"What kind of art do you do?" "I jump out of buildings," he replied. I did not catch the name of the artist as the bus began honking at a car the size of a shoebox, but I later heard him explain that no, he does not use safety devices, and so has banged himself up a few times.

What people will do for their Art!

One of the first works of art we saw was quickly demolished by its creator. The Singapore artist Jason Lim painstakingly created 1,500 unglazed porcelain lotus blossoms over many months. They were suspended in a giant cluster from the ceiling of a 19th century palazzo on the Grand Canal.

At the official opening yesterday, the blossoms were allowed to crash to the floor, where they will remain for the duration of the Exposition (sometime in November). The work is titled Just Dharma, suggesting that destruction is as important as formation in the making of artwork.

The 100 year old Venice Biennale is seen as a prestigious venue for artists from around the world, and the art each country selects is an important platform for national identity, especially for those like the former Soviet republics that are emerging onto the international art scene.

We spoke with Eteri Chkadua from Georgia, whose self-portraits' high degree of detail is somehow at odds with the quirky imagery. She explained that the Ministry of Culture discouraged her from exhibiting some of her works. We give a tame example here. (Unfaithful Wife, 2004).

Africa has had only spotty representation at the Biennale, so it was good that there is a major African presence this year. Much of the art does not seem explicitly African in subject matter, but some of the most striking works reflect the continent's turbulent history. Paulo Kapela's Atelier collages photos of political figures from colonial and postcolonial times to suggest the potency of imagery in a fast-changing part of the world.

Walking through Piazza San Marco is always a delight. Except for the pigeons, of course.

In the spirit of creating "site-specific" art for the Biennale, I'm thinking of submitting a proposal for a giant porcelain pigeon for the 2009 Biennale. At the opening, I would let it crash to the floor, like Jason Lim's lotus blossoms.

The title of my proposed work? "Pigeon Droppings," of course.

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