Art Taste

Taste as Curatorial Language

An International Collaboration.

Artists: Xu Liaoyuan

Taste Artist (chef): Nicola Sangiovanni

Scenographer: Hardy Gru

Curator: Junyu Wen

Date: 05.2025

Orgnisation: Xly MoMa, Chengdu

Photo copyright: Shushuo Studio

Led, designed, curated, and produced by Studio, this project brought together an established Chinese visual artist, an Italian chef, and a British stage designer to create a multi-sensory, immersive exhibition. The experience unfolded as a carefully orchestrated journey, structured in narrative chapters that guided audiences through a story, engaging sight, touch, smell, taste, and sound.

The studio designed the spatial choreography, lighting, materials, and pacing, transforming the gallery into an interactive stage. Each work of visual art—paintings, sculpture, and installations—was complemented by culinary creations inspired by its mood, textures, and conceptual layers. By tasting the art, audiences were invited to explore the works in new and unexpected ways, deepening their engagement and perception. Live music further enriched the atmosphere, heightening sensory awareness and emotional resonance throughout the journey.

Every chapter of the exhibition was carefully composed, balancing visual, tactile, olfactory, and culinary cues to create a layered, performative, and contemplative experience. Visitors moved through the space, inhabiting the artworks rather than observing them, encountering each moment with attention and reflection.

This project demonstrates the power of design-led, multi-sensory curation to transform contemporary art into an immersive narrative experience where narrative, atmosphere, taste, and sound converge to leave a lasting impression.