art pioneer studio art in progress...

Stefano Boeri and Sergio Mattarella, president of the Italian Republic, in Triennale

He is a world-renowned architect, curator, critic, and educator. He is the founder of Stefano Boeri Achitetti and the chariman of La Triennale di Milano;

He served as the Deputy Mayor of Milan, in charge of culture and fashion, and was the chief planner of the Milan Expo 2015. He is currently the Chief Urban Cultural expert consultant of the Mayor of Florence;

He is also a professor of Urban Studies at the Politecnico di Milano. He has taught at Harvard University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Belahan Institute of Architecture in the Netherlands, and Moscow Strica.

Stefano Boeri, a world-renowned architect, curator, critic, and educator, born and based in Italy, executes the interior design of APSMUSEUM. Located in the L+Mall, the APSMUSEUM is situated in a rather unconventional site, especially in the context of contemporary art. Stefano Boeri and his team dedicated many efforts in examining this new environment and contemplated how APSMUSEUM could stand alone in its commercial environment. For this reason, they envisioned a highly visual treatment of the new space, hence the design of a compelling façade – executed in concrete, straightforward, and powerful blue.

According to Stefano Boeri, “So this big blue volume is in itself not simply a facade but is a three-dimensional space that can be accessed from the other functional areas. Thanks to this entrance, the visitors would appreciate the spacious areas they have yet to experience upon entering the first blue blocks. Once they enter, they will discover the works of art on view.

APSMUSEUM exhibition space, designed by Stefano Boeri Achitetti
APSMUSEUM exhibition space, designed by Stefano Boeri Achitetti
MIPIM Asia Summit

He is a national first-class certified architect, Guest Lecturer of China Academy of Art;

The practitioner of Vertical Forest and Forest City in China. He is the Chinese partner/presiding architect and general manager of Stefano Boeri Architetti, Milan Chief Coordinator of China Triennial.

He has decades of green design in Europe and China Practical experience, once worked for Cino Zucchi (CZA) in Milan and Office for Metropolitan Architecture(OMA).

XU: I thought it was a very interesting project. Everything seemed to be on pause during the past year because of the pandemic; however, it was indeed a significant moment in human history. Since the birth of humankind, the flow of time and space has always accompanied the development of everything; whether it is architecture, art, or music, it is impossible to escape the frame of time and space—everything is constantly changing, developing, and progressing with the flow of history. Thus, if we slow down ourselves, look back through time and enjoy the moments that have slipped through our notice, the experience will be special. It is something that people usually overlook in our fast-paced daily life.

How It Flows On exhibition rendering for the main venue APSMUSEUM
How It Flows On exhibition rendering for the main venue APSMUSEUM (birdview)

When I first heard about the exhibition plan, I thought it fit well with our original intention when we designed the space—we hoped to separate APSMUSEUM art space from the surrounding commercial environment and to build a quiet and independent space in the busy city, providing a pure viewing experience for audience without the constraint of real time and space. Visitors in the exhibition are by no means just spectators, as in many immersive exhibitions which involve the audience in the exhibition. The design of the space would like to invite the visitors to a “space-travel” tunnel and enter into another world, becoming the listeners, the feelers, and the protagonists of this world. I believe the exhibition How It Flows On will have a special chemical reaction with the entire space.

XU: As different language systems, art, music, and architecture tell their own stories. However, they have long and deep relationship since the beginning of human civilization. Art is the ultimate carrier; no matter it is architecture, music, or others, it needs to be artistic in external form and in spirit. This exhibition is meaningful and exploratory exhibition in many ways. In our era, the practicality of architecture can no longer meets the needs of human beings. Architects should not only come up with “textbook” buildings. Therefore, to integrate other disciplines and to understand architecture from different perspectives are important ways of thinking. We can read the reality from three different angles and mix and separate from each other. Jumping out of the fixed frame and looking at buildings from different perspectives give visitors a different inner experience and endow this interdisciplinary cooperation a different meaning.

Tirana, Stefano Boeri Architetti

XU: This exhibition will take place simultaneously at APSMUSEUM and the Riverside Passage, which is quite interesting. These two locations seem to epitomize different aspects of Shanghai. Separated by the Huangpu river, the bustling Lujiazui Center and the peaceful garden-scene of the riverside almost completely narrate the history of Shanghai. With the increasing renewal of transportation methods, people’s travel speed has undergone earth-shaking changes, and urban space is no longer just point-to-point linkage. Nowadays it is more like a complex network. Whether it is urban space or between cities and cities, different locations are no longer isolated islands. The interaction of space is bound to be a major trend in the future. Under the combined effect of technology, transportation, and the network, the future city will definitely be a complex and huge network. The various plots are highly correlated. Land, environment, transportation and human activities are intertwined. The entire urban space will be full of complexity and uncertainty, but it also implies great opportunities. How to grasp this opportunity and create opportunities for the expansion and reconstruction of urban space is not only an issue that concerns architects but also what the general public needs to care about.

How It Flows On exhibition rendering for the main venue APSMUSEUM

Stefano Boeri is a world-renowned architect, curator, critic, and educator. He is the founder of Stefano Boeri Achitetti.

He received his Ph.D. from IUAV University in Venice in 1989. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the Deputy Mayor of Milan, in charge of culture and fashion, and was the chief planner of the Milan Expo 2015. He is currently the Chief Urban Cultural expert consultant of the Mayor of Florence. Mr. Boeri is also a professor of Urban Studies at the Politecnico di Milano. He has taught at Harvard University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Belahan Institute of Architecture in the Netherlands, and Moscow Strica.

Since 2007, Mr. Boeri has served as the curator of the Italian Architecture Festival. He is currently the curator of Call­ing in São Paulo and the invited curator of the main pavilion of the Venice Art Biennale in 2015. His well-known architecture projects include Milan's Vertical Forest, the overall plan for the 2015 Milan Expo, the planning and architectural renovation of the World G8 Summit venue, and the Marseille Mediterranean Cultural Center. His works and designs have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Milan Triennale, Kassel Art Exhibition in Germany, Bordeaux Enlev Architecture Exhibition, Berlin Contemporary Art Center, Paris Museum of Contemporary Art, Generali Foundation in Vienna, TNProbe in Tokyo, and other internationally renowned art museums.

Dr. Xu Yibo, national first-class certified architect, Guest Lecturer of China Academy of Art.

Dr. Xu Yibo is the Chinese partner/presiding architect and general manager of Stefano Boeri Architetti, Milan Chief Coordinator of China Triennial.

Decades of green design in Europe and China Practical experience, once worked for Cino Zucchi (CZA) in Milan and Office for Metropolitan Architecture(OMA). He once taught at the Master of Architecture School of the Politecnico di Milano, and published many articles on urban updates in domestic and foreign magazines. He presented at the CTBUH Shanghai International Symposium and CTBUH Chicago Conference Speeches etc. Participated in many architectural exhibitions, including the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, Beijing Design Week, Shanghai 2015 Urban Space Season, Shanghai 2116 Plan, Shanghai 2017 Urban Space Mars Planting plan, etc. Introducing the Milan Vertical Forest concept Entering the country, he was responsible for the construction of Nanjing Jiangbei Vertical Forest and Huanggang Vertical Forest City Complex.Shanghai Bailian Yanqingli fashion center renovation, Shenzhen Barrier-Free Innovation and entrepreneurship Center, etc.