"The greatness of these artists, writers, architects and designers is that they foresaw the future and tried to visualize it in their works," Su says. "People at the time embraced a great passion for the future and they had a lot of fantasies in their minds. Everyone wanted to be a prophet."

Jeffrey Schnapp, the Italian co-curator of the exhibition, says by utilizing the richness and diversity of the Fondazione Massimo e Sonia Cirulli collection, it explores the depth and territories of futurism and tells a story of how this movement changed the culture in the first half of the 20th century.

In a video speech at the exhibition opening in September, Massimo Cirulli said the goal of his foundation is to bridge cultures, and the exhibition will better communicate the way Italians think and their takes on life and boost mutual understanding of people of the two countries.