The exhibition is the sixth event in the cycle "Global Aesthetics" and presents in the Spazio Cielo of Villa Malpensata a colourful selection of works by the Chinese artist Hu Junjun, selected from oil on canvas and sculptures. Born in Shanghai in 1971, she devoted herself to painting and poetry in the 1990s, mainly frequenting the art scene in Beijing. She later moved to New York in 1998 and pursued her artistic research while developing a deeper and deeper understanding of Buddhist spirituality. Returning to Shanghai in 2006, where she now lives and works, Hu Junjun creates oil paintings on small, medium and large canvases, endlessly reiterating the subject of the reclining Buddha, almost like the painted litany of a mantra. These works tell of an artist and intellectual who, in the tension towards the simplicity of elementary forms, materials and colours, renounces the affirmation of the ego to express a deeper need for spirituality and communion with the other. The depiction of the Buddha, the posture of his body, the different styles of the robes, the head surmounted by the bun of hair, the long earlobes and, again, the serenity emanating from the lips slightly bent in a smile, all testify to the in-depth study that Hu Junjun has conducted on Buddhist painting and statuary of the Northern Dynasty (386-581 AD).

The exhibition Hu Junjun. The Journey to Compassion, curated by Giancarlo Ermotti and Massimiliano Vitali, presents 38 paintings and sculptures and the video "The Covenant of Nirvana" (2022), directed by Huang Maosen, on the artist's journey to Buddhism and the genesis of the large-scale work created by Hu Junjun entirely from dried tree branches. The exhibition is punctuated by quotations from the artist and room texts that accompany the visitor.