MUDEC Contemporary
Since 2022, MUDEC has adopted a new programmatic vision: “breaking the museum bubble” and transforming the museum into a cultural institution that projects itself toward the city. Thanks to public art, the museum is also able to extend beyond its walls and reach the outskirts.
This represented a paradigm shift in the museum’s programming curated by the Municipality of Milan. The program focuses on a single theme for a cross-disciplinary exhibition, using its collections to create new narratives between art, anthropology, science, design, fashion and street art.
Contemporary artworks produced by MUDEC for its temporary exhibitions include #OneLove by Norma Jeane, which was part of Rainbow (2023); Crocodile on a Ceiling by Theo Eshetu (b. 1958); and Monument to Vulnerability IV (Stoning of the Devil) by Monia Ben Hamouda (1991), which were part of Exposure (2024); Prisoners of the War (2025) by Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi, which was included in Travelogue (2025).
Due to limited storage space, the museum has embraced the dematerialization of acquisitions, opting for digital artworks or instruction pieces that can be reproduced on demand. This approach allows for the consistent expansion of our heritage with contemporary art, possibly inspired by our collections.
Another significant change is the innovative use of the free-access Agora space, the monumental covered plaza designed by David Chipperfield Architects. This area now serves as a stage for site-specific installations that anticipate and expand upon the themes of the temporary exhibitions.
Past installations have included: Adobe Photoshop 2022 […] by Cory Arcangel, which transformed the space with a rainbow carpet; Luce dietro tracce incompiute (2023) by Mariana Castillo Deball (b. 1975), a monumental installation of printed cotton gauzes inspired by the museum’s pre-Columbian textile collection; Il vostro cielo fu mare, il vostro mare fu cielo (2024) by Adrian Paci (b. 1969), an installation featuring a mosaic of blue-green seas cut from newspaper articles about migrant shipwrecks.
The museum is currently working with Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972) on a new site-specific installation titled The Moment the Snow Melts, scheduled to open in November 2025.
