Like many pairs of opposing concepts, the nature/technology distinction may seem obvious at first impression. In recent decades, the dividing lines between the two domains, once thought to be sharp, precise and unequivocal, have instead become much more blurred and uncertain. Indeed, lately the most interesting and relevant reflections are precisely those that investigate the ambiguities and overlaps between the two domains. Following this latest trend is Kia, which at the forthcoming Milan Design Week will investigate the relationship between man and technology, its delicate balance, contrasts and the need to find balance and coexistence, uniting opposites. The exhibition to be presented at the Museo della Permanente from 17 to 23 April 2023 is entitled "Opposites United Artwork Exhibition" and will address the theme through five sections: Bold for Nature, Joy for Reason, Tension for Serenity, Technology for Life and Power to Progress. 

The exhibition promoted by Kia will consist of series of visual and sound installations that reiterate the urgency of reflection, the questioning of the continuous and incessant race for progress, ahead of everything and everyone. Kia thus decides to abstract itself from its core business, the automobile, in order to exhibit works relating to other spheres of technology. An exhibition not about product, but about thought.

Accompanying the exhibition, in partnership with Zero, there will be five days of music and dialogue, inspired by the five pillars of Kia: a talk a day, followed by a performance, as places to re-discuss the present and provide a new perspective. The five talks and five concerts themed Opposites United will bring together leading cultural and artistic figures from the Italian and international scene, including Emanuele Coccia (philosopher), Alice Rawsthorne (design theorist and New York Times columnist), Andrea Lissoni (curator of the Haus der Kunst in Munich, formerly of the Tate Modern and HangarBicocca), Marco Sammicheli (curator of design and fashion at the Milan Triennale), Bethan Laura Wood (designer) and Femi Adeyemi (director of NTSradio), Bes Smets (architect and landscape architect) as well as artists such as Hudson Mohawke, Afrodeutsche, Talpah, Alewya, Pantha Du Prince among others.

The initiative promoted by Kia has an interdisciplinary and multimedia character, from images to sound, seeking a fusion of senses that can do nothing but, precisely, change perspective. In essence, an event that symbolises Kia's commitment, which once again demonstrates its effort to think about the design of products and their values to suggest a better lifestyle.