Artists

Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi

Press release

Travel is a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary theme. The exhibition, curated by Katya Inozemtseva and Sara Rizzo, will highlight the genesis of MUDEC’s collections as a reflection of the city’s history: part of the heritage of Milan’s civic museums since their origins, these collections were formed as a selection of “exotic” artifacts brought from different parts of the world by citizens, businessmen, travelers and researchers. They are a collection of travel-related objects, souvenirs that reflect a certain kind of relationship between the collector and the artifact.

Travelogue begins with an introductory section on mythical journeys, starting with European culture, such as Charon and Dante. The exhibition then moves on to the themes of nomadism, metaphorical travel and the mind’s journey, to arrive at the ‘materiality’ of travel.

Travelogue aims to rediscover certain contexts and invite to a new understanding of tourism/travel. Objects intended for the domestic market are compared with others created for the tourist market. Small sculptures, fakes and replicas will also be on display. Another section is devoted to travel diaries, photo albums, sketchbooks, maps and other small objects through which travelers from the late 19th and 20th centuries constructed their personal narratives.

The crucial theme of migration and diaspora, which has marked and continues to mark recent history, will be addressed with significant contributions from contemporary artists, ‘directors’ who work with different nomadisms, including Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi.

The special section, set up in the curved display cases of the Agora, is dedicated to an in-depth study of ancient and modern means of transport, thanks to the collaboration of the National Museum of Science and Technology “Leonardo da Vinci” in Milan.