Above image: Upside Down Mushroom Room (2000) by Carsten Höller, Photography courtesy of Prada

With Italy in lockdown, Fondazione Prada are among a host of global art institutions wrestling with the quandary of having to shut their doors. If a museum has no physical visitors, no public participation, can it still be considered as such?  The response for Prada has been to expand their online presence and connect remotely. By translating their diverse programme of art, film, architecture and archive fashion into something digitally accessible, the institution hopes to establish a communicative strategy that will extend beyond the current crisis.

Taking place across their social media channels and website, a series of launches will help alleviate isolation-induced lunacy from anywhere in the world. Inner Views, for example, replaces a physical visit of the Fondazione’s three recently opened exhibitions, The Porcelain Room, Storytelling and K – an exploration of Chinese porcelain, a painting exhibition by Chinese artist Liu Ye and a physical homage to the novels of Kafka, respectively.

The cinematographic program, conceived in collaboration with streaming service MUBI, will be available from April 6th. With an accompanying new section on Fondazione Prada’s website, the program will be supplemented with original materials that will reflect on the experience of streaming as well as a dedicated section on selected movies and their directors, from Billy Wilder to Kelly Reichardt.

Finally, Readings, will offer recorded readings of all books published by the Fondazione since 2012, downloadable as podcasts. This vast anthology of topics includes writings from Nicolas Bourriaud, Benjamin H.D. Buchloh, Massimo Cacciari, Simon Castets and Germano Celant among others – more than enough to keep you occupied during the coming months.

More information here.