The Xi’an Warriors exhibit at MARQ has proven to be much more than a museum display. It has become the most visited show in the history of the Alicante Archaeological Museum, drawing over 280,000 visitors. The exhibition, titled The Legacy of the Qin and Han Dynasties, continues to collect accolades. The latest honor places the project at the top of the Architectures for Ephemeral Design Awards in the Valencian Community, announced by the Alicante Province Council.
The Valencian Community Design Association has highlighted the exhibit’s narrative and the dialogue it created between the terracotta figures and the visitors. The prize recognizes creativity, innovation, and excellence in ephemeral structures, with special emphasis on the third hall where the warriors are displayed inside futuristic crystal capsules. The capsules feature mirrored ceilings and are surrounded by a bespoke musical score composed specifically for the show by Alicante musician Luis Ivars.
The exhibition, staged at MARQ and curated by Marcos Martinón-Torres, a professor at Cambridge University, was conceived by the Illicitano architectural studio Ángel Rocamora. Rocamora will personally collect the ADCV award. In just under a year, the show, which benefited from the support of Asisa and La Caixa foundations, registered 280,682 visits, a record-breaking figure that cemented it as the museum’s most viewed proposal in the history of the Alicante institution.
Suma y sigue
This fresh recognition adds to a growing list of honors. The work has previously received an honorable mention from the Andalusian Association of Museologists and Museographers for the Expone 2023 national exhibition project, the Gold Empori Award 2023, the top prize at the Emporia 2023 National Ephemeral Architecture Awards, and distinctions such as Alicante of the Year 2023 for Todo Alicante. Additional accolades include the special recognition from Cope-Alicante 2023, the November 2023 Important Award from INFORMACIÓN, and a forthcoming acknowledgment from the Alicante Royal Academy of Science, Literature, and Arts to the CV MARQ Foundation at a June ceremony in the City Theatre of Alicante.[citation: ADCV and MARQ sources]