Taiwanese artist River Lin (林人中) will be presenting his performance piece "An Art History on Escalators" at Centre Pompidou in Paris, as part of the center’s special performance program "Tableaux Vivants" scheduled for the weekend on June 26 and 27.
The concept behind "An Art History on Escalators" is based on Lin’s observation of people when they take escalators. He notices that most people's bodies would stand still on the escalators before reaching the next floor, thus temporarily resembling sculptures.
Through physical simulation, digital performers will imitate the famous paintings and sculptures situated in Centre Pompidou, representing the classical images of human bodies in the history of Western art.
Centre Pompidou pointed out that Lin's works encompasses visual art, performance and dance, navigating between staging situations, choreography, and participation with the artist’s body as live exhibitions to explore notions of immaterial labor, historical representation, queer culture and social engagement.
In recent years, the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris has fostered cooperation and cultural exchanges frequently with Centre Pompidou, introducing and exposing Taiwanese artists to the iconic contemporary art museum.
Born in 1984 in Taiwan, River Lin currently resides and works between Paris and Taipei. His work has been commissioned and presented by institutions and artist-fun festivals such as Palais de Tokyo, Paris' Centre National de la Danse, Brussel's Kanal Centre Pompidou, ANTI Festival in Kuopio, London’s Live Art Development Agency, 2020 Taiwan Biennial, 2016 Taipei Biennial, Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB), Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai's Ming Contemporary Art Museum, Goa’s Serendipity Arts Festival, and Sydney’s Liveworks Festival among others.