SHANGHAI – Rong Zhai, the historic mansion restored by Prada in downtown Shanghai, turned blue for Sea Beyond this week as the UNESCO-backed sustainability and ocean preservation activation launched a series of educational programs for children and adults in China.
Having brought the “Ocean & Climate Village” exhibition to Qingdao, China, in 2023, Prada Sea Beyond’s Shanghai debut came with learning workshops designed for children ages 6 to 16, panel discussions, an outdoor film screening, a cocktail reception, and an exhibition spreading across multiple rooms at Rong Zhai that was open to the public via WeChat miniprogram reservation from Friday to Oct. 19.
Visitors will be able to learn about the ocean’s role in regulating climate through themed areas covering topics such as marine biodiversity, climate science, ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and the impact of individual and collective action presented in interactive formats like infographics, photos, and installations.
Enzo Barracco’s photos on display at Prada Rong Zhai
KongLei
A highlight of the showcase is a selection of striking photographs from Enzo Barracco, a fashion photographer-turned-environmental and climate artist, and an ambassador of Prada Sea Beyond.
These images were captured during Barracco’s expeditions to Antarctica, the Galapagos, Hawaii, and Alaska, showcasing nature’s beauty as well as firsthand proof of the impact of climate change.
Barracco said his life took a transformative turn after reading about the legendary English explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in 2016.
“For his courage, for his determination to never give up, I decided to organize my own expedition in Antarctica,” he recalled, adding that this pivotal experience inspired him to leave the controlled environment of fashion photography for the unpredictable, awe-inspiring world of nature.
His work now centers on “unlocking the territory in a very honest way“ at some of the planet’s most remote and ecologically significant locations. Each project is a year-long commitment, requiring him to return to the same place across different seasons.
Barracco said each of the expeditions comes with a book, which serves as both an artistic expression and a vehicle for environmental storytelling.
“I document the experience, and between the words and the photographs, it’s very beautiful to create a story, and it becomes very fundamental to unlock the message nature wants to give to us,” he said, adding that art, photography in particular, can communicate the realities of climate change in ways that data and numbers cannot.
The artist lauded his collaboration with the Prada Group and the Sea Beyond initiative, which helps amplify his message to a global audience, aiming to rekindle humanity’s connection with nature.
“We send this message to as many people as possible to come back to nature and fall in love again with nature, because, as I always say, we are all marine animals, we just forget,” he said.
The Prada Sea Beyond exhibition at Rong Zhai, Shanghai
KongLei
Barracco was also among a cohort of high-profile speakers at a three-part panel discussion held in the ballroom of Rong Zhai. These discussions explored the role of cross-sector collaborations, the emotional impact of storytelling, and the power of art to raise awareness for ocean preservation.
Other speakers included Francesca Santoro, senior program officer at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO; Fangli Qiao, a professor, deputy director general of The First Institute of Oceanography at China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, and director of the U.N. Ocean Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus; Philip Tinari, director of the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art; Sakana-Kun, an Ichthyologist and comedian from Japan, and Titouan Bernicot, an ocean conservationist based in French Polynesia.
On the philanthropy front, a group of primary school students from the inland Guizhou province, who have never seen the ocean, traveled with their teachers to Shanghai to visit the exhibition and experience the seaside for the first time.
The Prada Sea Beyond initiative has also vowed to continue to support the promotion of ocean literacy in China with the Marine Science Cultural Kit, a tool that will be distributed to schools in the inland Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, reaching around 800 children ages 8 to 12.
Lorenzo Bertelli, head of corporate social responsibility of the Prada Group, said the ultimate goal of bringing Prada Sea Beyond to Rong Zhai is to spread knowledge and transform it into action.
“Through this initiative, we maintain a strong focus on the 71 percent of our planet covered by water, and the urgent need to protect it, as Sea Beyond has been committed to doing since its start in 2019,” he added.
