PARAVENTI: A Journey into Our Sense of Contemplation

When I was a child, my obsession with paravents began after discovering them in Disney’s Mulan, sparking a desire to have one in my room. However, my obsession went unfulfilled as my mother, citing limited space at home, never bought me one. What fascinated me most about these objects, straddling the line between art and utility, was their ability to create new spaces and provide a surface for contemplation. Contemplation, as emphasized by Walter Benjamin’s 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,' is the first step towards consuming any form of media, especially visual ones.

In my early years, I found myself staring at the mesmerizing cycles of the washing machine and asking my parents to create simple Asian shadow plays with their hands. Now, as an adult, a significant portion of my day is spent staring at screens. My inclination towards contemplation persisted as I grew up, and even when I started living alone as a young adult, one of the first objects I acquired for my room was a folding screen. Perhaps it's this archetypal Freudian memory that intensified my captivation with the PARAVENTI exhibition at Fondazione Prada.

In an era where we spend nearly four hours a day on our phone screens, understanding our inclination to keep our eyes fixed on screens, in any form, becomes crucial. Setting Freud aside, PARAVENTI is a must-visit if you find yourself in Milan. The exhibition features 70 folding screens spanning from the 17th to the 21st centuries, curated by Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the National Portrait Gallery in London, and developed in collaboration with the architecture studio SANAA.

Originating in China during the late Chou Dynasty, the paravent was initially used for spiritual contemplation and inspiration. It later migrated to the West, experiencing its peak during the Baroque period. The paravent embodies the concept of liminality, creating a new space, concealing something from clear view, and adding an aura of mystery, holiness, and otherness. It tells a story through its zigzag sides, allowing glimpses, imagination, and entry into a new dimension.

We can consider the paravent as an ancestor of the digital experience in our times, where we explore words through our screens—a concept reflected in Cho Fei's work, 'SCREEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY,' an exclusive artwork showcased in Paraventi. Cho Fei has created a ready-made employing the latest models of foldable smartphones and tablets, transforming these digital tools into a digital paravent. The artwork embodies the dialectic between the concept of a screen and its dual function to hide and yet reveal, highlighting why discussing the philosophy and aesthetics of folding screens is relevant today.

The exhibition unfolds on two levels of 'THE PODIUM,' each offering an exclusive perspective on the evolution of folding screens. The ground floor presents an immersive labyrinth, interweaving screens within screens. It's structured into seven perspectives on the paravent, separated by transparent curved walls—a fractal of chambers designed by SANAA. The first floor follows a linear narrative, exploring the evolution of the paravent from its origins in China and Japan to contemporary times. Here, one can admire paravents designed by architects such as Josef Hoffman, Eileen Gray, and Le Corbusier.

In human beings, the deepest thoughts arise from wonder, and a similar sensation arises from contemplation. PARAVENTI invites the viewer to research the origins of our attitude towards looking at screens of any nature.

The exhibition ‘Paraventi: Folding Screens from the 17th to 21st Centuries’ is on view at Fondazione Prada until the 22nd of February 2024 fondazioneprada.org

Article by @lluciamarinelli

Images courtesy of Fondazione Prada Press Office

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