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Conceptual artist Lee Mingwei to present participatory installation at Center Pompidou-Metz

  • Date:2020-09-23~2020-10-18
Conceptual artist Lee Mingwei to present participatory installation at Center Pompidou-Metz

Acclaimed Taiwanese artist Lee Mingwei (李明維) has been invited to present his interactive exhibition at the Center Pompidou-Metz in France from Sept. 23 to Oct. 18, on the occasion of the 10th founding anniversary of the satellite branch of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Known to explore human relations through participatory installations or performances, Lee will present his work "Sonic Blossom" – a series of spontaneous one-on-one performances where a number of vocalists who will take turns to perform songs by Franz Schubert, including "You are Peace, the Mild Peace," "To The Moon," and "In the Middle of the Shimmer of the Reflecting Waves." 

Each of the vocalists, wandering around the center's exhibition rooms, will approach a visitor randomly at a time and ask the visitor whether he or she is interested to accept a song offered. If the request is granted, a performance will ensue. The visitor will be guided to a chair to receive the personal gift of song.
The performance will only take place when a visitor encounters a vocalist, manifesting the defining characteristic of Lee's participatory art. According to the artist, "Sonic Blossom" drew inspiration from a difficult time when he cared for his mother who was recovering from a heart surgery. At that time, both of them found comfort in Schubert's lieder.

When Lee was a child, his classical music-loving mother would play Schubert's works to make Lee, who was restless at that time, quiet down. Years later, Schubert's pieces became the unexpected heart soothing gift to the Nantou-born artist and inspiration for his performance-based art projects.

Originally commissioned by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea in 2013, "Sonic Blossom" has toured to prestigious art institutions worldwide.

In 2018, "Sonic Blossom" was performed in front of French artist Yves Klein’s (1928-1962) artworks at the National Museum of Modern Art, which is located inside the Centre Pompidou. This year, the performance will kick off on Sept. 23 – the same day as the inauguration of a retrospective exhibition dedicated to Yves Klein, who is widely recognized as a major figure on the post-war French art scene.

'Sonic Blossom Live Shows'
Date: Sept. 23 – Oct. 18, 2020
Venue: Center Pompidou-Metz, France
Website: https://www.centrepompidou-metz.fr/sonic-blossom