Made in China

The MAO Museum of Oriental Art presents a brand-new exhibition in the gallery dedicated to Chinadesigned and edited by Laura Vigo in collaboration with the designer Brian Yue, in constant dialogue with the director Davide Quadrio and the museum’s curatorial team. The project is further enriched by contributions and talks from the artists Sissel Tolaas e Gala Porras-Kim.

The exhibition offers an in-depth reinterpretation of the prestigious Chinese archaeological collection, showcasing over 140 items spanning a period from Neolithic until the glorious Tang dynasty. The artefacts on display include ceramics, bronze sculptures, funerary objects and sophisticated glazed artefacts, re-contextualised within a narrative that links them directly to people, gestures, rituals and the rich sensory experiences which characterised its creation and original use.

By drawing on the most innovative curatorial initiatives in which the museum has played a leading role in recent years, the project reinforces the vision of the museum as a dynamic institution meeting place, dialogue and negotiation between the collections and their visitors. The objects transcend their status as mere artefacts to be observed, becoming genuine tools of interpretation: the collection becomes a living entity to be questioned, deconstructed and reinterpreted through the sensibilities and intersecting perspectives of artists, editors, scientists, archaeologists e art historians.

The artefacts on display in the showcases thus reflect a human history and a complex interplay, capable not only of revealing the past, but also of engaging in a profound dialogue with the present, bringing to life the richness of the cultural and material connections that have spanned – and continue to span – the’Eurasia.