Chawan Cabinet at Prada, Milan
At Prada’s newly unveiled retail space on Via Montenapoleone, Chawan Cabinet unfolds as an intimate meditation on ritual, craftsmanship, and the cultural depth of Japanese ceramics. Conceived and curated by multidisciplinary artist Theaster Gates, the exhibition transforms the luxury environment into a contemplative domestic setting, where objects are not merely displayed but invited to be understood as vessels of memory, gesture, and human connection.
At the heart of the exhibition is the chawan, the traditional Japanese tea bowl. More than a utilitarian object, the chawan embodies hospitality and mindful presence — a theme that shapes the entire spatial narrative. Gates presents his own editioned ceramic works alongside pieces by master Japanese potters Taira Kuroki, Yuichi Hirano, Koichi Ohara, and Shion Tabata, creating a cross‑cultural dialogue grounded in shared respect for material intelligence and the history of craft.
The installation extends beyond the chawan to include yunomi (everyday tea cups), guinomi (sake cups), and tokkuri (sake bottles), each object carrying its own temporality — from the ritualistic to the habitual, from the ceremonial to the communal. These forms are juxtaposed with sculptural works from Gates’s studio and selected pieces from the Prada Home collection, reinforcing the exhibition’s central inquiry: how domestic objects shape the rhythms of living, gathering, and remembering.
Gates describes the project as a return to “the hand, the table, friendship and simple human kindness,” positioning ceramics as instruments of connection rather than luxury. This ethos resonates throughout the exhibition, where the tactile surfaces of clay — marked by fire, time, and touch — become quiet testimonies to the presence of the maker.
Chawan Cabinet ultimately reframes the Prada space as a site of cultural exchange, where design, art, and ritual converge. It is both a celebration of Japanese ceramic heritage and a reflection on the universal human impulse to shape, hold, and share objects that carry meaning. @fondazioneprada @prada @theastergates @milan.design.week
Wording and review by Mari Balsama Wilson
More visual – photo credits mari balsama wilson
