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Italian artist and filmmaker Francesco Vezzoli. Divas, opening to the public on
March 30–June 2 with a VIP preview on March 29, pays homage to the enduring legacy of
European and American cinema and the cultural weight of 20th-century stardom and historical
cinematic movements. Through his embroideries of “divas,” Vezzoli disrupts the fantasy of iconic
movie stars and opera primadonnas by exposing the delicate reality beneath the surface.
Spanning 25 years of Vezzoli’s artistic production, each embroidery work in this show is matched
with the poster of a significant film featuring the actor portrayed– such as Anna Magnani, Sophia
Loren, and Isa Stoppi– and bridges Vezzoli’s deeply personal cinematic history with the collective
imagination shaped by film. The pairing of embroidery and poster along two long corridors with
theater seats at the center invites viewers to engage with both the historical and emotional
dimensions of cinema and offers a layered perspective on the relationship between stardom and
artistic interpretation. By blending classic narratives with emotional introspection, the exhibition
highlights cinema’s enduring influence on Vezzoli’s vision and the cultural landscape at large. The
exhibition is curated by Nancy Spector and Shai Baitel.

Vezzoli examines the fetishism surrounding the movie industry’s star system and cinematic styles
such as Italian Neorealism, the French New Wave, and Spanish Surrealism to reveal the malleability
of history and performative nature of fame. By inserting his own mark on these recognizable
portraits, Vezzoli also pays homage to his personal experience growing up watching these films and
how they shaped his own reality and challenges cultural nostalgia that surrounds these icons.
“It is with great enthusiasm that I present Divas at MAM Shanghai,” says artist Francesco Vezzoli.
“The exhibition unfolds along two interwoven trajectories: a historical narrative and a deeply
personal reflection—both aesthetic and emotional—on cinema and its enduring legacies.”
Shai Baitel, Artistic Director of MAM Shanghai says, “We are delighted to debut Francesco
Vezzoli’s work in China with an immersive cinematic experience. In Divas, Vezzoli reveals hidden
truths within each portrait and invites viewers to question what is real and what is performative for
the screen, bringing the power of Vezzoli’s mastery of intervention as both a material and
philosophical act to the forefront.”

The exhibition opens to the public on March
30-June 2 with a VIP preview on March 29. In the exhibition, Frisch reimagines the traditional
notions of the halo for a contemporary audience. By drawing on historical, spiritual, and
technological themes, the artist invites viewers to engage with energy as both a physical
phenomenon and a metaphor for infinite possibility.
Curated by MAM Artistic Director Shai Baitel, the exhibition highlights the artist’s large-scale, site
specific installations where light becomes a visible manifestation of electricity. Frisch’s work
connects sacred and secular realms and explores the enduring power of circular motifs to evoke
connection, balance, and transcendence. Using circuits, bespoke electrical components, and
industrial materials, the artist arranges these elements into geometric forms that emit light,
transforming inert objects into dynamic fields of energy.

As Frisch explains, “A halo can be visible or invisible, yet it is always a manifestation of the inner
nature of things.” His installations emphasize the invisible—the energy fields that radiate outward
and permeate the surrounding space. “The artwork is actually invisible,” Frisch continues, “while
the visible is primarily the means to generate it.” This duality invites viewers to consider the
concept of aura not merely as a visible phenomenon but as an intangible force that emanates
authority, conviction, and influence.
Shai Baitel, Artistic Director of MAM Shanghai says, “Frisch has a way of transforming an exhibition
space into immersive environments that respect the surrounding architecture and become moments
of unity and harmony. Halo is an energetic experience that transcends the boundaries of perception,
and we are thrilled to bring this experience to China for the first time.”