Contemporary Declinations #3

With the third edition of Contemporary Declinationsthe MAO - Museum of Oriental Art consolidates its commitment to creating a active dialogue between contemporary art and historical collections. The project, which began as a residencies and site-specific commissions, involves artists, curators and professionals from three continents, offering new interpretations of museum heritage and transforming the visitor's experience into a profound encounter with ancient works reinterpreted through the languages of the present.

In the Tibetan section, the sound installation by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam gives voice to the fragments of the monastery of Densatil, extraordinary artefacts of Buddhist art looted during the Cultural Revolution. The narration, conducted by the sculpture by Virūḍhaka, reactivates the memory of a lost past, questioning the present on issues of identity, dispersion and spirituality.

In Chinese galleries, Sunmin Park presents Pale Pink Universe (2025), a video installation and three drawings inspired by the winemaking and the Tuscan landscape, the result of collaboration with Artists for Frescobaldi. The moving images, interwoven with music and poetry, confront each other with the Chinese funerary objects, creating a link between ritual, nature and transformation.

Closing the route Francesco Simeti with General Description (A Historical Map of the Other)an environmental installation that combines wallpaper, textiles and glass to tell the story of the Silk Roads and the way the West has interpreted and deformed the Eastern ’other“. The work invites reflection on the dynamics of cultural power and the need to redefining historical narratives.

The exhibition is enhanced by the performance Tape Music by Lin Chi-Wei, involving the public in a collective sound ritual and meditative, in dialogue with the themes of the mourning and memory.