The Taste of the Medici and the Dialogue on Technology – Making the Ordinary Extraordinary is a fascinating journey through the contemporary “Silk Road,” where Chinese art, fashion, design, and innovation meet with the Italian artistic genius of Medici Florence. This institutional event of international relevance is held within the framework of the Shenzhen/Milan Cultural Design Week, and is promoted by the Hui Foundation in collaboration with the Shenzhen Industrial Design Professional Association and the Longhua District.
Hui Foundation_ Smith Chow, Gauze dress as thin as cicada wings, 2011, copper and iron, 160 x 20 x 170 cm
The exhibition, curated by Giacomo Santucci and produced by YNT Museum, transforms the spaces of the Complex of San Vittore and Forty Martyrs into a cyber-dreamlike dimension, where past and future converge. The exhibition path unfolds as a metaphorical journey on two trains, Prometheus3011 and ZhuRong1956, which stop at a station called “Present”. Here, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in a stimulating dialogue between paintings and sculptures from the 17th and 18th century Florence (Salvator Rosa, Alessandro Magnasco, Gioacchino Fortini, etc.), the craftsmanship and fashion of the Miao people from the Guizhou region, and the innovative design and cutting-edge technologies (such as the humanoid robot Kuavo) from the city of Shenzhen.
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- Hui Foundation_Huizhou Zhao x Guizhou Textile, Guizhou Ethnic Motif Lounge, 2025, embroidered ethnic fabric, 30 x 30 x 30 cm
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- Hui Foundation_ Smith Chow, Denim, 2012, iron and brass, 110 x 60 x 40 cm
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- Hui Foundation_ Smith Chow, Metamorphosis, 2019, brass, 38 x 42 cm
Conceived as a “conversation exhibition“, the exhibition poetically explores, through 8 sections, the relationship between mind, heart, and hands, identifying in the concept of “techne” the meeting point between art, practical skill, theoretical-scientific knowledge, and historical-moral thought. Therefore, it not only aims to build a bridge between distant cultures and eras, but also proposes to demonstrate how art, science, and technology are universal tools for growth and mutual understanding. It is indeed an invitation to recognize the universal value of creativity, which allows us to embrace the concept of Humanitas, rediscovering our ability to transform thought into beauty, knowledge into innovation, and learning into connection, in a timeless dialogue that unites peoples and paves the way for a shared future of understanding and progress.
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- Hui Foundation_ Smith Chow, Softness, 2018, brass, 65 x 43cm
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- Hui Foundation_Smith Chow, Stool, Butterfly Collection, 2022, fabric and brass, 56 x 51 x 110 cm
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- Hui Foundation_Smith Chow, Source, 2018, fabric and brass, 60 x 53 x 98 cm
The exhibition will be open to the public from April 10 to 21, 2025 |Tue-Sun 11:00 AM-7:00 PM
Location: Complesso di San Vittore e Dei Quaranta Martiri, Milan