Summary
- Fondazione Prada unveils a new multimedia installation by Chinese artist Cao Fei in Milan
- The exhibition traces the global agricultural technological revolution through virtual reality and documentary footage
- Visitors can explore the deep connections between ancient traditions and modern drone technology
Fondazione Prada officially presents Dash, an immersive new multimedia project devised by Chinese artist Cao Fei for its Milan headquarters. Opening its doors on April 9, the extensive exhibition represents the culmination of a long-term research initiative exploring the rapid emergence of smart agriculture across global landscapes.
Following a fortuitous encounter with XAG, a world-leading agricultural robotics company, Cao Fei spent three years documenting the integration of artificial intelligence and drone technology into traditional farming practices. The exhibition unfolds across the Podium’s ground and first floors, offering a multi-layered narrative that physically intertwines the virtual and the real. Inside, visitors step into a carefully curated environment that juxtaposes a traditional rice granary tent and a temple woven from fertilizer bags against solar energy panels and smart agricultural equipment.
A central piece of the showcase is a virtual reality game installation titled “Dash-180c,” which places users in the subjective perspective of a discarded model 180c agricultural drone within a radically transformed futuristic landscape. The upper level further grounds the sensory experience with an array of historical documents, scientific slides dating back to 1984, and an automated vertical farming station. Through these meticulous spatial arrangements, the project questions how humanity can redefine the value of labor and repair spiritual bonds with the land in an era heavily influenced by artificial intelligence.
Cao Fei’s Dash exhibition runs from April 9 until September 28 at the Fondazione Prada in Milan.
Fondazione Prada
Largo Isarco 2, 20139
Milan
