From July 15 to September 14, 2025, the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea presents “2025 East and West: International Dialogue Exhibition – From Shanghai to Rome”, a major exhibition connecting cultures and perspectives through contemporary art.
Curated by Gabriele Simongini and Zhang Xiaoling, this new exhibition at Rome’s Galleria Nazionale brings together over seventy works by more than forty artists, initiating a compelling conversation between modern Chinese visual culture and iconic masterpieces from the Italian 20th-century canon.
The show is co-organized by Italy’s Ministry of Culture, the National Gallery, the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, and the Shanghai Artists Association, with support from Zhong Art International and numerous academic institutions across both nations.
A Cross-Cultural Encounter
This cross-cultural dialogue is not just symbolic. It materializes through the juxtaposition of works by revered Italian masters like Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio de Chirico, Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, and so on, with a vibrant spectrum of contemporary Chinese creations. Some works are by globally acclaimed figures like Maurizio Cattelan and Rudolf Stingel, while others highlight promising talents such as Daniela De Lorenzo and Alessandro Piangiamore, inviting reflection on shared visions and divergent histories.
East Meets West, Past Meets Future
The exhibition arrives at a timely moment, coinciding with two key anniversaries: the 700th year since the death of Marco Polo and the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and China. This historical backdrop underscores a central aim of the exhibition: to explore identity, transformation, and artistic renewal amid global flux.
According to Zeng Chenggang, President of both the Shanghai Artists Association and the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, “This exhibition seeks to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, offering a platform for authentic exchange in the face of today’s urgent realities.”
Tradition in Flux
What emerges is a dynamic portrayal of Chinese contemporary art as a practice deeply rooted in tradition but open to reinvention. Classical techniques, such as ink painting, are reinterpreted to address present-day themes. From Jiao Xiaojian’s The Sparrow Flies Toward the Sun to the vibrant abstractions of Ding Yi and the meditative landscapes of Bai Ying, each work offers a new reading of space, identity, and emotion.
Cultural symbolism resonates throughout. We encounter epic narratives like Zeng Chenggang’s sculptures inspired by The Heroes of Liangshan, alongside futuristic urban visions, introspective portraits, and algorithmic abstractions.
In the words of co-curator Simongini, “These works traverse a space between two boundaries: tradition and projection into the future. In that in-between lies the search for a face to match an ever-elusive present.”
A Curatorial Journey in Three Acts
The exhibition is structured into three thematic chapters:
- Reflections of Space-Time: delves into the evolution of artistic language across modern and contemporary eras in both China and Italy, highlighting shared challenges of modernization and identity.
- Expansion of Thought: explores how materials, media, and conceptual languages become metaphors for present-day realities. Sculpture, installation, and abstraction redefine the relationship between matter and meaning.
- Generation of the Imaginary: celebrates personal memory, local identity, and visual storytelling, transforming everyday life into poetic narrative.
A Platform for Global Dialogue
At its core, 2025 East and West is not just an exhibition, but a cultural mechanism for exchange. It reaffirms the role of contemporary art as a space of negotiation, between past and present, between one tradition and another, and ultimately, between East and West.
As the curatorial team from China concludes: “The real challenge lies in building an intercultural dialogue that is deep, equal, and charged with tension, while preserving the cultural roots and expressive voices of each artist.”
In this spirit, 2025 East and West becomes not only an exhibition, but a cultural bridge: one that invites viewers to reflect, connect, and envision a more nuanced global future through the universal language of art.
July 15 – September 14, 2025
Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
Viale delle Belle Arti 131, Rome
Open: Everyday from 9am to 7pm
Tickets: Full €15/17, Reduced €2-€12,75
