In honor of the 700th anniversary of the legendary Venetian merchant, explorer and writer Marco Polo's death, Venice is orchestrating a series of art and history events. Marco Polo's legacy, shaped by his explorations and travel diaries, has left an indelible mark on world history.

Venice is convening both local and foreign artists, historians, and culture enthusiasts to commemorate this eminent historical figure and celebrate his enduring influence. Within this initiative, the Türkiye Joint Generations Integration Association (T-ONE) has launched another of its Italy events, spotlighting the renowned Genoese Trade Route in a project titled "Trading Posts and Fortifications on Genoese Trade Routes. From the Mediterranean to the Black Sea."

Art, history project

The T-ONE Association, in collaboration with the Elgiz Museum in Ankara and the Venice Municipality with the sponsorship of Turkish Airlines (THY), will host a series of events on both art and history from May 5 to 9. Also the Turkish historian, academic, writer and chair of the advisory board of the T-ONE Association, professor Ilber Ortaylı, in collaboration with Universita Ca’Foscari, will deliver a speech at Scuola Grande San Teodoro in Venice, specifically focusing on Marco Polo's journey from Venice to Istanbul, accompanied by author and academician Pieralvise Zorzi.

The speakers will provide insights into Polo's time in Istanbul, exploring how he built a cultural bridge between East and West, opened trade routes, and introduced the riches of Asia to Europe.

Additionally, an exhibition will be organized in Venice on May 7, with the opening by the Mayor of Venice. The project, initiated by Nadia De Lazzari, President of the Venice Peace Fish Association (La Pesce di Pace), is supported by the Venice Authorities, under the auspices of the Council of Europe and with the support of the Venice Municipality. It will be a painting exhibition themed "Children for World Peace," featuring artworks by Turkish, Lebanese, Greek, and Venetian children.

The opening will be attended by the Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro and professor Ilber Ortaylı.

In her opening speech, T-ONE Association President Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan said: "One of my most important missions is to contribute to global peace by highlighting our cultural similarities and historical commonalities. With this idea in mind, through our T-ONE Association, which I founded, we strive to convey that the cultural richness in my country and my region belongs to the whole world and that we all draw from the same source. T-ONE Association is established to serve the common values of world civilization and to facilitate the establishment of a universal world culture. Our mission is to build bridges between Türkiye and other countries of the world, preserving both traditional and contemporary values and contributing to the future of our country."

"Preservation of cultural heritage is the responsibility of all humanity. Strengthening, preserving, and passing on historical artifacts to future generations is the way to build our future on solid foundations. Understanding, interpreting, researching, and examining history correctly is essential. In this regard, we continue to collaborate internationally in the social and cultural field with organizations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and Europa Nostra," she added.

Collaborations

T-ONE Association vice president and founder of the Elgiz Museum, Sevda Elgiz, stated that the exhibition titled "Sea and Sky of Peace" designed by the president of Pesce di Pace, Nadia De Lazzari, was opened on May 23 at the Elgiz Contemporary Art Museum in Istanbul. Paintings drawn by four children from different countries and cultures (Italy, Türkiye, Lebanon and Greece) at different times were exhibited at our museum.

The Venetian leg of this exhibition will be organized on May 7 in collaboration with the association's art committee, the Elgiz Museum, and the Pesce di Pace Association, with the participation of the mayor of Venice, at the opening event to be held at Palazzo Mocenigo.

Özalp Birol, chair of the T-ONE Association's Art Committee, said: "To increase awareness of Turkish contemporary art and promote Turkish artists abroad, our Art Committee ensured the participation of Turkish artists in an international exhibition titled 'Crime Of Adolf Loos' held at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in the center of Antwerp on March 13."

The exhibition focused on the modernist perspective of Adolf Loos, who stirred controversies in the architecture and art world in the early 20th century with the statement ornament is a crime.

A total of 14 artists participated in this international exhibition, with four Turkish artists, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Nilbar Güreş, Aslı Çavuşoğlu and Cansu Çakar, showcasing their works. The curation of the exhibition and the selection of artists were carried out by the globally renowned Alistair Hicks.

Other artists featured in the exhibition include Nikita Alexeev, El Anatsui, Zheng Guogu, Kamrooz Aram, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Anish Kapoor, Waqas Khan, Kimsooja, Shozo Shimamoto and the Yangjiang Group.

T-ONE Association advisory board member and archaeologist-editor Nezih Başgelen evaluated Marco Polo's travels in the Far East between 1276 and 1291, and the years spent alongside Kublai Khan, based on the information contained in his travelogue "The Travels of Marco Polo." He emphasized Polo's contribution to the development of history, ethnography and geography during his 17-year journey in Eastern countries.

"This work, dictated to his friend Rustichello da Pisa while he was imprisoned in Genoa between 1298 and 1299, contained adventures that were astonishing to Europe due to the novelty of the information regarding the East. Marco Polo and his companions landed in Yumurtalık, known as Ayas, where they crossed the territories of present-day southeast Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Iran, Turkestan, the Pamir Mountains, the Gobi Desert and China. The travelogue, which provided fascinating information, played a significant role in shaping the imaginary, rich image of the East and the Far East and inspired explorers like Christopher Columbus. The travelogue also provides valuable insights into the Turkic and Islamic worlds of that period. Marco Polo, who died in 1324, was buried in the San Lorenzo Church in Venice, and it is known that his last words were, 'I have not told half of what I saw, for no one would have believed me,'" he said.