Cao Fei's 'Dash' Exhibition at Fondazione Prada Explores AI Agriculture and Chinese Rituals

Cao Fei's exhibition 'Dash' at Fondazione Prada in Milan investigates the intersection of traditional Chinese agricultural rituals and advanced AI-driven farming technology. The artist's 2026 works include 'Land Ceremony,' a medium-sized installation featuring an XAG agricultural drone shaped like a rice dragon, referencing ancient offerings for bountiful harvests. XAG, founded in 2007 in Guangzhou, is a global leader in AI and robotics technology for agriculture. The exhibition's central installation at the Podium features a rice storage tent housing a documentary film that examines humanity's evolving relationship with land across millennia. A virtual reality game allows visitors to experience flight from a drone's perspective over futuristic landscapes and ruined temples. Seven additional sections on the first floor present archival materials, documentaries, and video interviews that contextualize agricultural science within China's political evolution since 1949. Documentaries 'Super Farms' and 'Southward Journey' explore automated rice farming systems and gender dynamics among female drone operators in Southeast Asia. The exhibition addresses contemporary agricultural challenges including water scarcity, climate change, labor shortages, and rising food demands across China and Southeast Asia. Cao Fei describes her approach as an 'archaeological gaze' on agriculture as 'geological engineering,' where satellite positioning systems converse with ritual geographies.