What meanings do the ritual objects present in the MAO collections have and how were they used and perceived in their original context? Why and how did they become part of the museum's heritage – as well as other Asian art museums in Europe? And again: what are the problems posed by conservation and restoration, subordinated to tastes and techniques that change over time? What is the relationship between Buddhism and new technologies?

The new Buddha10 exhibition starts from these questions. Fragments, drifts and refractions of the Buddhist visual imagery , a project that starts from the works present in the collections to open up broader perspectives relating to issues concerning the museum, its collections and what it means to manage, preserve and enhance an Asian art heritage in the western area.

In the rooms dedicated to temporary exhibitions, in an essential and evocative space, over twenty large Buddhist statues in wood or stone from different periods (from the 12th to the 19th century) from the MAO collections will be juxtaposed with some sculptures - including two extraordinary sculptural heads in stone from the Tang era (618-907 AD) - from the Museum of Civilizations in Rome , with which the Museum has started a fruitful and articulated collaboration, and an important loan from the Chiossone Museum in Genoa.

The works will be placed in dialogue or in contrast with each other, in a dialectical and diachronic relationship that opens trajectories of reflections on many themes: the relationship between true and false, between science and religion, the ability of restoration to reveal and hide, like two types of restoration can profoundly change two similar works, the role of light in the use of the works and much more.