Deep dive into the blue

Journey of discovery

When Miuccia Prada first visited Shanghai in 2011, she was captivated by the four-story residence's Roman columns, stained-glass windows, orange dome and lush garden. Built in 1918, the villa was lovingly restored by an Italy-China team led by architect Roberto Baciocchi, a six-year effort that revived its elegance.

As a cultural landmark of Prada in China, Rong Zhai stands not only as a masterpiece of architectural artistry but also as a site of creative expression.

Visitors are invited to embark on a journey to discover the sea and its ecosystems, as well as the urgent challenges it faces.

The experience will unfold across several rooms, each shaped by Rong Zhai's distinctive stylistic identity. The original spaces — featuring works of art and antique objects — will serve as an evocative backdrop for immersive narratives dedicated to humanity's relationship with the ocean.

After its debut in Milan in 2019, the exhibition traveled to Venice and Naples and launched in China's coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, in 2023. Shanghai is its second stop in China.

In Shanghai, the display invites audiences to explore the ocean's role in regulating Earth's climate through themed areas, covering marine biodiversity, climate science, ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and the impacts of human activity. Interactive tools like infographics, photos and tactile installations will bring these urgent issues to life.

One installation, Up Sea Down, shows how global warming has expanded the volume of the ocean, and how this trend may continue, on a timeline from 1940 to 2100, while Feel the Change lets visitors touch models of marine ecosystems in both natural and acidified states.

The exhibition's local adaptation was supported by the First Institute of Oceanography, China's Ministry of Natural Resources, and the UN Decade Collaborative Centre on the Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in China.