Cao Fei's first major Italian retrospective opens simultaneously at MAXXI and Centro Pecci

Two major Italian institutions, MAXXI in Rome and Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, are jointly presenting the first comprehensive Italian retrospective of Chinese artist Cao Fei. Titled 'Cao Fei. Supernova', the double exhibition spans both venues from December 2021 to May 2022. The Rome show at MAXXI opens on December 16, 2021, curated by Hou Hanru and Monia Trombetta, focusing on the artist's real and private spaces—contemporary China, her neighborhood, studio, and home—featuring works like 'RMB City: Planning A Second Life' (2007), 'Haze and Fog' (2013), 'La Town' (2014), 'Hongxia' and 'Nova' (2019), and 'Isle of Instability' (2020), which explores pandemic isolation. The Prato exhibition at Centro Pecci opens on December 18, 2021, curated by director Cristiana Perrella, centered on the transformation of labor conditions. It includes the multimedia installation 'Asia One' (2018), set in an automated sorting center in Jiangsu, China; 'Whose Utopia' (2006) about Osram factory workers; 'Milkman' (2005); and 'Rumba 01 and 02' (2016) featuring robotic vacuum cleaners. A publication by Nero Editions accompanies the shows.