Image: Palazzo Merulana, Rome
Palazzo Merulana will present ‘The World of the Stage II’ from 3 October to 1 November 2026.
The exhibition is a solo presentation by Chinese contemporary artist Yuan Gong, curated by Liliana Liao. It brings together video art, performance and multidisciplinary works, exploring the relationship between identity, representation and transformation.
The presentation is the second chapter of an exhibition project inaugurated in Venice in 2026. It continues Gong’s research into Qi, a concept he has explored for more than 15 years, placing Chinese contemporary art in dialogue with Italian cultural heritage and an international public.
The exhibition is structured around seven series of works addressing boundaries, ruins, rituality, perception, the body and participation. The project interprets the contemporary world as a stage in which individuals, communities and cultures continually redefine their identities through encounters with others.
Alongside the exhibition, the participatory performance project ‘The Birth of the Jester’ extends the artistic research into urban space.
