CAO FEI. Supernova

Prepared for the exhibition at MAXXI, this book traces the development of Cao Fei’s artistic research from 2007 until today and offers, through a narrative of her works, a look at the panorama of contemporary China and her close tie with digital technology. Reflection by the curators and experts and a never-before-published interview with Cao Fei go more deeply into the artist’s intense rapport with her territory and the cultural dimension of China: between the physical reality of her neighbourhood in Beijing (in particular the former movie house of Hongxia, which she recovered and turned into a studio) and the intangible yet ever more inhabited reality of the metaverse, a virtual place where she herself has realized some of her works. The text is richly illustrated and accompanied by a detachable insert with a story by Wang Hongzhe illustrated with drawings by Zhao Mengyao.