Cao Fei's 'Asia One' explores love in automated warehouse at MAXXI
Chinese artist Cao Fei's film 'Asia One', first shown at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2018, is now on view at the MAXXI Museum in Rome until January 30, 2022. Set in the world's first fully automated logistics center in Jiangsu, China, the film follows two workers who develop a romantic connection amidst robots, conveyor belts, and surveillance cameras. The work is part of the exhibition 'Cao Fei. Supernova', which also includes the film 'Nova' (2019), the virtual reality piece 'The Eternal Wave' (2020), and 'Isle of Instability' (2020), commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary. The latter explores the psychological impact of the pandemic and isolation, created at the artist's home in Singapore. The exhibition traces a path from Cao Fei's real-life environments—contemporary China, her neighborhood, studio, and home—to a surreal virtual future.
Key facts
- Cao Fei's film 'Asia One' was first presented in 2018 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
- The film is set in the world's first fully automated logistics center in Jiangsu, China.
- The story follows two workers who fall in love amidst robots and surveillance.
- The film is screening free of charge at the MAXXI Museum in Rome until January 30, 2022.
- The exhibition is titled 'Cao Fei. Supernova'.
- Other works include 'Nova' (2019), 'The Eternal Wave' (2020), and 'Isle of Instability' (2020).
- 'Isle of Instability' was commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary.
- 'Isle of Instability' explores psychological repercussions of the pandemic and isolation.
Entities
Artists
- Cao Fei
Institutions
- Guggenheim Museum
- MAXXI Museum
- Audemars Piguet Contemporary
Locations
- New York
- Jiangsu
- China
- Rome
- Guangzhou
- Singapore