Prada Home presents Chawan Cabinet, an exhibition by artist Theaster Gates, exploring ceramic vessels, ritual, and the meaning of gathering. In this conversation, Theaster Gates reflects on a longstanding friendship with Prada, shaped by cultural depth, experimentation, and the interiority of domestic and ceremonial space. From chawan to yunomi, objects move beyond display to become instruments for living, exchange, and connection. Featuring works developed in collaboration with Japanese potters Taira Kuroki, Yuichi Hirano, Shion Tabata, and Koichi Ohara, the project bridges Italian design, Japanese craft traditions, and Gates’ artistic practice.
Prada has unveiled a new exhibition by artist Theaster Gates called Chawan Cabinet. At its center is a collection of ceramic vessels and ceremonial forms. These are not objects to look at from a distance, but meant to be held and handled over time.
The project comes from a long friendship between Gates and Prada. Gates conceived and curated the selection, which brings together his own pieces and works by four Japanese potters. Large-scale sculptural forms from Gates’s studio are also part of the installation, along with a selection from the Prada Home collection.
The heart of the project is the chawan, the tea bowl used in Japanese tea culture. It expresses hospitality, care, and respect. Alongside it is the yunomi, the everyday tea cup. Less formal, it belongs to daily life. Then there are the guinomi, the sake cups, and the tokkuri, the sake bottles. Passed from hand to hand, they turn drinking into a shared act. Across all these forms, the object becomes a reason to gather.
The space itself matters. It feels like a quiet Japanese domestic landscape. At the entrance, a single object sits in the window, creating a moment of focus. Inside, ceramic floor tiles and raw earthen plaster walls contrast with the polished neutrality of most retail spaces. A long reclaimed wood table serves as both display and meeting point. A metal shelving system holds a layered collection of objects. The arrangement avoids hierarchy, favoring something more human.
To the right, smaller rooms unfold. A cabinet from Gates’s collection gives the project its name. In the inner courtyard, a tea house offers space for actual ceremony, with traditional tea ceremonies led by a Japanese tea master. A vintage turntable plays throughout the day. Gates prefers the analog warmth of vinyl.
The focus shifts from possession to experience, from display to use. Chawan Cabinet asks how we live, how we come together, and how simple vessels can gain depth through repetition and care.
PRADA HOME | CHAWAN CABINET
BY THEASTER GATES
VIA MONTENAPOLEONE 6
