Wu Gan: The Art of Design
物感：设计的艺术

In introducing Design Miami/’s program of collectible design to China for the first time, Design Miami/Podium x Shanghai, in collaboration with Made In House, will explore the curatorial theme of “Wu Gan: The Art of Design” during Shanghai Art Week.

Throughout most of Chinese history, little distinction was made between what we now consider “art” and “design.” It was only beginning with the Industrial Revolution in the West that design became conflated with mass production, form and function—a constraining definition that has once again expanded in recent decades, alongside definitions of art.

“Wu Gan: The Art of Design” takes its name from a concept—first originated from the seminal 5th century text The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons (文心雕龍)—that describes the sensory, emotional and spiritual relationships between the inner world of the individual and the external world of objects and environments.

Curated by Design Miami/ Curatorial Director Aric Chen and Deputy Curator (Shanghai), Violet Wang Ruhui, “Wu Gan: The Art of Design” will explore design as an art form through 20th century and contemporary works, while drawing on Chinese culture’s historical relationship with fine objects to prompt new interpretations in a contemporary, global context. By highlighting the narratives and meanings, craft and processes, and lineages and ideologies of design, the exhibition will present objects to ponder, reflect upon and stimulate discussion.