Pleased to share that Trương Công Tùng and Yu Ji are the joint-winners for the Arnaldo Pomodoro Award for Sculpture, along with Bronwyn Katz, Dan Lie, and Luana Vitra.

Established in 2006 at the initiative of Arnaldo Pomodoro, the Prize is one of the few—both in Italy and internationally—dedicated specifically to sculpture. Each edition serves as an observatory on the international art scene, identifying artists between the ages of 25 and 45 whose individual research makes a significant contribution to ongoing reflections on sculptural practices and the very concept of sculpture in contemporary times.

“Dancing at the Edge of the World” refers to Ursula K. Le Guin’s eponymous collection of essays, published in 1989, which encourages readers to embrace alternative perspectives and consider imagination as a political and social tool. The exhibition presents itself as a space of encounter and possibility, where sculpture—like dance— becomes a force capable of expanding the limits of perception and generating new visions.

The exhibition opens with The secret code… by Trương Công Tùng (1986, Vietnam), an immersive installation that intertwines artificial objects and natural elements, expanding the imagination toward other worlds—both human and non-human. By immersing the audience in an ephemeral universe where time and space fracture and interpenetrate, the components of the work—artificial pigeon eggs, an industrial incubator, termite wings, and a canister filled with black water— function not only as materials but also as life mechanisms that provoke questions about the relationship between humans and the biological systems they create and influence.

Through a complex installation titled Forager – Lunch (2020–2026), Yu Ji (1985, China) unites diverse elements dispersed throughout the exhibition space, including two sculptures, black-and-white photographic prints overlaid with drawings, and a video displayed on an old television set. The work takes the form of a choreography—a narrative exploring the ways we inhabit the world—imparting the materials with an atemporal depth that paradoxically contrasts with the traditional concept of sculpture.

— Courtesy of Fondazione ICA Milano and Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro.