Author:Nicola Cabiati

I feel very honoured to be in charge of the exhibition in Milan to present the artworks of Keyang Wu. Designing and constructing art spaces has always been a fascinating task for an architect because of the profound relationship between the interplay of tradition and modernity in art and architecture. This connection extends to all artistic disciplines - visual arts, graphic arts, music and dance - and the cultural cross-fertilisation between them is particularly prominent in the unique contexts in which the artworks are embedded.

Garibaldi Gallery

Italy, more than any other country, has a deep passion for the underground world, which is particularly evident in cities such as Rome, Naples and especially Milan. This submerged realm has evoked Sigmund Freud's insights into ‘archaeology’ and Carl Gustav Jung's elaboration of the structure of the collective unconscious a century ago. Just as tectonic plates or aquifers outline a submerged world, so our cities, on whose foundations activities and lives thrive, are interconnected and transcend artificial boundaries.

In 1975, the respected art and architectural historian George Muratore, in The Renaissance City, Types and Patterns Seen Through Treaties, established a harmony of urban forms and civilisations between East and West, downplaying history while emphasising the importance of geography.

Similarly, Wu Keyang's art is presented as a contrast between East and West, closely reconnecting the grandeur of the Orient with the techniques of European Mediterranean painting, employing traditional techniques such as oil painting to express spiritual ideas.

These forms of meditation are undoubtedly ‘universal’, which the artist realises through painting beyond the canvas and builds us a cross-cultural bridge - a bridge not in the religious sense, but in the highest human and spiritual sense.

Through the art of Keyang Wu, we have the opportunity to contemplate and meditate in observing and appreciating paintings and drawings in a place as ‘fascinating’ and rare as Milan, beyond the foundations of the Milan Cathedral. Here, an entire wall of glass, displaying an ancient seventeenth-century Spanish city wall, allows the paintings to transport us to a highly introspective realm - the root of the artist's insight and creativity.

Oil painting:《六如》

Specification:100cmx120cm

Creation date: 2023

Author Bio:

Nicola Cabiati （尼科拉·卡比亚蒂）Architect, Director of AIR Architecture Studio in Rome. He worked for 19 years as head of architectural modelling at the studio of the top international architect Fuksas and participated in the realisation of many important projects worldwide, such as the Milan Expo Pavilion, the International Congress Centre in Rome (Italy), the Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen (China), the new district of Fontevraudville (Monaco), and Gelendzhik Airport (Russia).