From June 17 to October 14, 2026, Milan’s Fabbrica del Vapore presents "Il cosmo," a major solo exhibition by Japanese artist Susumu Shingu. The show features nine pivotal sculptures from his career and twenty-one works from his Windcaravan project, a series of wind-powered sculptures that have traveled globally. Shingu, born in Osaka in 1937, moved from painting to sculpture after studying in Rome, where he developed a practice that merges art, engineering, and natural forces. His works respond to air, water, and gravity, making invisible natural dynamics perceptible. The exhibition also includes Sandalino, an imaginary character embodying a childlike perspective on nature.
This exhibition matters because it highlights Shingu’s unique contribution to kinetic and environmental sculpture, emphasizing a dialogue between art and natural phenomena at a time of growing ecological awareness. It also marks the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan and the 45th anniversary of the twinning between Osaka and Milan, underscoring cultural exchange. By bringing together works from his Windcaravan project for the first time in Italy, the show offers a rare comprehensive view of an artist whose practice challenges conventional boundaries between art, science, and nature.