Taiwanese–American artist Lee Ming-wei's (李明維) interactive performance installation "Sonic Blossom (聲之綻)" will make its Italian premiere at the Museum of Oriental Art (Museo d'Arte Orientale, MAO). With support from the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in Italy, in collaboration with MAO and Conservatorio di Musica "Giuseppe Verdi," Italy's music academy, Lee's performance piece will be on view for one month from May 5 to June 4, creating a dialogue with the museum visitors.
Originally commissioned in 2013 for the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea, "Sonic Blossom" was inspired by the comfort and encouragement Lee received from listening to Franz Schubert's Lieder while he was caring for his mother as she recuperated from surgery. It has been performed at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and other international art establishments.
Trained by Professor Erik Battaglia, seven students from the music academy have been chosen to participate in the performances at the museum’s galleries. The performing student will choose one visitor from among all those present and offer him or her a gift. If the visitor accepts the gift, he or she will be guided to the Salone Mazzonis and the performance will begin.
The Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in Italy said that the MAO is one of the most important museums in Italy and one of the largest in Europe for the knowledge and study of oriental art. In collaboration with the museum, Lee was invited to Italy to curate and present this internationally acclaimed live performance piece, integrating elements of the museum's temporary exhibition "Buddha 10 - A fragmented display on Buddhist visual evolution (佛教10：東方藝術的佛教視覺構想)," with Davide Quadrio as the chief curator. It is hoped that the performance will be able to draw the attention of the global visual arts community and enhance Italy's understanding of Taiwan.
Lee has been attracting international attention for his mode of artistic practice "relational aesthetic," turning spaces into a place of dialogue with his participatory installations. Some of his classic works include "Our Labyrinth (如實曲徑)," "Guernica in Sand (如沙的格爾尼卡)," "The Mending Project (補裳計畫)," and more.
For more information, please visit MAO's official website.