as part of Oltre le mura / Beyond the walls
a Fabbrica Europa project for Autunno Fiorentino 2026

Since 2025, Chinese choreographer Er Gao has been developing the research and performance project WAX – Intimacy, Solidarity and Love Among Marginalized Communities, which originated from his observation of the African community in Xiaobei, Guangzhou, and the community of elderly women in Shunde.

Starting from the history of the renowned wax fabric, a material that has over time become an icon of connection between Indonesia, Africa, Europe and China, WAX develops a research process intertwining dance, visual practices and the collective construction of space, exploring the dynamics of cultural exchange and transformation through the body and the languages of performing arts.
The fabric thus becomes a symbolic and narrative element, as well as a tool for reflecting on the circulation of cultures, the mobility of people, and cultural transformations in the contemporary world.

In Florence, WAX – Patterns in Motion (Trame in movimento), curated by Fabrizio Massini, theatre producer and sinologist at the University of Vienna, takes shape through meetings, lectures and shared workshop practices with local communities of artists and citizens, intertwining body, movement and visual arts and leading to the final performance / installation.

The project opens with an audition to select the participants in the workshop that Er Gao will subsequently lead, culminating in two performances open to the public.

Er Gao (He Qi Wo) is a Chinese choreographer and interdisciplinary artist, born in 1985 in Yangjiang, Guangdong. A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, in 2007 he founded the Ergao Dance Production Group (EDPG), through which he develops a practice that intertwines dance, performance, video and community-based practices.
His practice explores themes of identity, gender and culture, using the community as a working method and favouring participatory and immersive processes. His works combine dance, pop music, visual practices and low-tech techniques, bringing together bodies, spaces and imaginaries of contemporary China.
His works have been presented at major institutions and festivals in Asia and Europe, including Fabbrica Europa, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Tai Kwun Hong Kong, Guangdong Times Museum, Shanghai International Dance Center and The Place in London.

ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

FRI 16 OCTOBER 3 – 7 PM
PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence
WAX – Patterns in Motion AUDITION
to select participants for the workshop led by choreographer Er Gao
For information, please email fabbricaeuropaaudition@gmail.com

MON 19 OCTOBER – WED 4 NOVEMBER 2 – 6 PM
PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence
WAX – Patterns in Motion WORKSHOP
led by choreographer Er Gao

WED 28 OCTOBER
Istituto Tecnico per il Turismo Marco Polo | Florence
MEETING/WORKSHOP
with choreographer ER GAO and curator FABRIZIO MASSINI
for the students of the Institute, focusing on experiences of cultural mobility

TUE 3 NOVEMBER 6 PM
PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence
MEETING/LECTURE
“Provenance and Fraying in the Arts” with Prof. LUCA FARULLI
“Authentic Copies? Chinoiserie, Shanzhai and the Myth of Originality” with curator FABRIZIO MASSINI
free admission

THU 5 – FRI 6 NOVEMBER 6 PM
PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence
ER GAO WAX – Patterns in Motion
Performance
free admission

THU 5 – SUN 8 NOVEMBER
PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence
ER GAO
ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL WAX
Outdoor installation
free access

OLTRE LE MURA | Beyond the Walls is a project by Fondazione Fabbrica Europa as part of Autunno Fiorentino 2026.

photo (detail) © Winnie Yeung, courtesy of Tai Kwun Hong Kong