On April 17, MoCA Shanghai, in collaboration with Venice International University in Italy, presents a major group show: “TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES”, a title that recalls the themes of the 60th Venice Biennale ” Foreigners Everywhere”. The exhibition can be visited until the 18th of May in the spaces of The Venice International University, an international centre for advanced training and research dedicated to the international exchange of knowledge on the island of San Servolo in Venice.
The exhibition, curated by Miriam Sun, executive director of MoCA Shanghai, and Giuliana Benassi, Italian curator, features some of the most interesting voices on the Chinese and Italian contemporary art scene, including Qiu Anxiong, Josè Angelino, Shi Chengdong, Rä di Martino, Guo Fei, H.H. Lim, Matteo Nasini, Oliviero Rainaldi, Gabriele Silli, Fu Tong, Jin Wang, and Yang Yongliang.
Cities, as geographic, social, and cultural spaces, contain numerous layers of value that are not readily apparent. This exhibition, centred around the theme of “TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES,” aims to ingeniously construct a conceptual art route of “The Traveler’s City – A Spiritual Mirror Image of One’s Self and the Foreigner,” weaving two threads, one more evident and the other concealed, in a dynamic narrative.
Adopting a non-linear presentation of works by Chinese and Italian artists working with different languages, the exhibition intends to prompt travellers to keep asking the city questions, focusing their attention through the individual elements of the exhibition itinerary and guiding them to search for the reflection of themselves in the mirror of the various responses provided by the city. The aim of the exhibition, therefore, is not only to allow travellers to find the answers to the city’s visual enigmas, but also delineate their capacity for self-examination and encourage a deeper contemplation of interpersonal relationships.
The whole exhibition aims to capture a “symbiotic network” of contemporary artists who, although from China and Italy, seem to be united by a single thread: that of the human being in the presence of the world.
The fresh creations of multidisciplinary artists showcase the new forces of science and technology in an era of AI generated content, new concepts of sustainability concerning organic and inorganic materials, philosophical frameworks behind installation practices, and traditional Eastern aesthetics, among others. Through multiple media and unique narratives, the exhibition seeks to connect China with the world, the traditional with the contemporary, reshaping the ever-changing backdrop of history, filling in the last fragment of the city’s intellectual image, and searching for the key to connect human relationships based on their identities.
The year 2024 holds special significance for China and Italy, marking the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s passing. By means of the exhibition “TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES,” MoCA Shanghai hopes not only to echo the spirit of the theme of the 60th Venice Biennale’s “Foreigners Everywhere,” but also introduce a new perspective for deepening mutual understanding of art, culture, and aesthetics between the peoples of China and Italy, further promoting friendship and understanding between the two nations. The exhibition at Venice International University is the debut of the “TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES” touring exhibition project, which will move in the foreseeable future to its next destination in New York City, USA.
(from the press release)
TRAVELLERS MIRROR CITIES, curated by Miriam Sun, executive director of MoCA Shanghai, and Italian art curator Giuliana Benassi, Venice International University (VIU), Isola di San Servolo, 19.04 – 18.05.2024
Artisti: Qiu Anxiong, Josè Angelino, Shi Chengdong, Rä di Martino, Guo Fei, H.H. Lim, Matteo Nasini, Oliviero Rainaldi, Gabriele Silli, Fu Tong, Jin Wang, Yang Yongliang.
April 17 – 20, from 7.30 p.m. Guo Fei and composer Jin Wang will perform in the frame of the Church connected to the Venice International University
images: (1) Fu Tong, «Flowing Bodies», 2023. Audio-Video Installation (2) Guo Fei, «endlessREDDAL (3) Josè Angelino, «Mosquitos», 2017, electromagnetic fields, micro magnets, glasses, shuman resonance frequencies, audio player/amplifier, variable dimensions, Courtesy the Artist and Alessandra Bonomo Gallery, Rome, ph Adriano Mura
