Contemporary Expressions

In 2022, under the direction of Davide Quadrio, MAO initiated a programme of artist residencies and site-specific commissions that sees contemporary art as a means for fostering new interpretations and plural narratives as well as way in which to provide added value the museum’s collections, in a dialogue that generates unexpected connections.

For Artissima 2023, MAO is delighted to present four important new works that have resulted from this multi-year project: The Snake Ritual by Marzia Migliora, Le son de la pierre by Lee Mingwei (both in residence at the museum for a two-year period between 2022 and 2023), Flying Kodama by Kengo Kuma and Gigli, cinghiali, qualche carpa e poi conigli, galline e asini in gran quantità by Francesco Simeti, in residence at MAO from October 2023.

The Snake Ritual | Marzia Migliora
The Snake Ritual(2023) comprises tapestries that partly use MAO’s monumental stair and are based on a large scroll (130 x 9,140 cm) filled with mixed media images – collage, frottage, drawing – that the artist made looking at ritual and sculptural works in the collection that are invisible to the public because they are not currently on view at MAO. In this large drawing, varied works from different times and cultures (objects from the collection and references to post-industrial history, nature and the symbolism ofnaga/snakes) intersect and interact, creating a visual narrative in which each element coexists with the others in a single intense, ahistorical setting.

The work creates a symbolic bridge, that can be crossed from different directions, between the MAO collection and the contemporary world, with the aim of presenting within the museum a work that metaphorically combines space-time and warp and weft in an emotional, historical and experiential crescendo.

Flying Kodama | Kengo Kuma
Flying Kodama is a new installation created by Kengo Kuma for the entrance to MAO. A kind of sphere measuring 120 cm in diameter, the piece is made up of interlocking blocks of pale ash that place the wood and its ephemeral composition in contrast with the physicality of the museum’s vault.

Kodama, which means ‘tree spirit’ or ‘forest spirit’ in Japanese, is the result of structural and sculptural experimentation that Kuma has been carrying out for several years. The project began in 2018 at Arte Sella, leading to a work measuring almost six metres in diameter that brought an element of geometry and porosity to the Casa Strobele wood. It continued in 2019, with the installation of the first work’s twin in an urban setting in Taiwan. A version in reduced scale (1:5) was then displayed at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice for the Architecture Biennial in 2023, presenting an oak variation onKodama as a piece of sculpture.

Le son de la pierre | Lee Mingwei
The artist Lee Mingwei (Taichung, Taiwan, 1964) is returning to MAO (where he participated inSonic Blossom earlier this year) with the workLe son de la pierre.

The installation utilizes a ceramic disc, stone, and granite stand as metaphors for human inertia and potential for change. The act of breaking and subsequently repairing the disc using Kintsugi functions both as a physical and metaphorical gesture, underscoring the transformative power of imperfection and resilience.

“I envisaged a project that could take shape using a ceramic disc, a stone and a granite support. The idea was to use these simple but symbolic objects to create a powerful, transformative experience. The ceramic disk represents the immobility of our lives. The little stone represents the potential for change. The moment we realise our lives are stalled, it’s time to act. With a strong hand, the ceramic disk breaks into a thousand pieces, freeing our stagnant emotions. This breaking point is a moment of lucidity, an opportunity to free ourselves from the rigid shell that was holding us back.”

Gigli, cinghiali, qualche carpa e poi conigli, galline e asini in gran quantità| Francesco Simeti
The artist Francesco Simeti (Palermo, 1968) presents Gigli, cinghiali, qualche carpa e poi conigli, galline e asini in gran quantità (Lilies, wild boar, a few carp and then rabbits, chickens and donkeys in large quantities), a wallpaper piece for the museum’s reception area and the first part of a project that will develop at MAO during a two-year residency between 2023 and 2024.

The title Gigli, cinghiali, qualche carpa e poi conigli, galline e asini in gran quantità is like a nursery rhyme for the youngest guests of Casa Giglio, for whom the work was originally conceived, a kind of fantastical world to immerse themselves in.

Rooted in archival research, it is a composite work that combines the iconographic traditions of different cultures and times and animal and plant species from far-flung geographical regions.