Chiharu Shiota conquers Turin: MAO surpasses 100,000 visitors
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
Turin’s MAO sets a historic record: 100,000 visitors in less than four months for The Soul Trembles, the exhibition dedicated to Chiharu Shiota, which opened last October 22. An unprecedented milestone in the exhibition history of the Museum of Oriental Art, confirming the strength of a program capable of combining research, vision, and the ability to engage with the present.
The figure is even more significant when considering its steady trend: around 5,000 visitors per week, with a peak of 15,000 admissions during the Christmas holidays. These numbers tell not only the story of a successful exhibition, but also of the consolidation of a museological transformation that in recent years has broadened both the MAO’s audiences and its languages.
The Soul Trembles is not a simple solo show: it is an intervention that “inhabits” and transforms the spaces of Palazzo Mazzonis, engaging in dialogue with the permanent collections. A project of strong expressive impact, capable of raising universal questions—identity, relationships with others, life and death—and of engaging even those who do not usually visit exhibitions.
Among the most significant indicators is the expansion of the audience: alongside regular museumgoers and subscribers, there has been a growth in younger visitors—particularly in the 20–29 age group—as well as an increase in school participation. At the same time, the exhibition’s success is reflected in the digital sphere: a steadily growing online community, a rise in newsletter subscribers, and a marked increase in organic visibility on Facebook and Instagram, testifying to broader and more sustained audience engagement.
For a “niche” museum like the MAO, this result carries double significance: it demonstrates that scholarly quality can go hand in hand with strong narrative and communicative power. Shiota’s language - deep, emotional, immediate - combined with a communication strategy attentive to digital platforms and accessibility, has made the museum more recognizable and closer to contemporary sensibilities.
A record that is not just a number: it is the sign of a museum changing pace, expanding its audiences, and strengthening its position in Turin and beyond.
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